The Catching of a Spider
by Kinta101
Summary: "In order to catch a spider, you must be clever and nimble. Escpecially if you are it's prey." Wiser words have never been spoken. Six boys accidently get caught in a spider web and are trapped. Will they be able to break free or are they going to be dinner? AU First Fan fiction so be nice!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! First Fan fiction ever so I am open to advice. Hope you enjoy! **

**Pairing: FrUK, PruCan, Spaimano, RusChi, Ameripan, GerIta, Sealand x Latvia, Lithuania x Poland, Hungary x Austria, Some France x Seychelles. If more need to be add, I will edit**

**Warning: Swearing, implied smut, kissing, character death, the usual stuff**

**Human names used!**

**XXXXX**

Alfred was awoken by the smell of pancakes. Normally, most people would find this smell a good thing to awake to. However if you are like Alfred and stay up till midnight playing video games, then remember you have a project and spend the rest of the night finishing said homework, you hate anything that wakes you up. Alfred was about to growl about being woken up, when his stomach reminded him that it had been eight hour since his last meal. Who was he to argue with his stomach?

With a groan, Alfred sat up and glanced at his alarm. 6:00AM, ugh this is why school sucked. Alfred pulled on his glasses and left his red, white and blue room to go into the bathroom. A quick shower and brushing of the teeth while attempting as usual to tame the stupid cow lick. (He had no luck) Finally he just went back to his room and threw on his uniform. Which was dorky but that came with all school uniforms. He grabbed his favourite bomber jacket. Finally done, he raced down the stairs to the kitchen.

"Dude, it smells awesome in here!" he cried as a greeting. The kitchen was a fairly normal size for a dorm. Big enough to cook in and have a small table to eat at. It took Alfred a second to see Matthew by the stove.

Matthew glanced away from the perfect pancake in the pan and replied "Good morning to you to, Alfred." The cook was practically identical to Alfred save for longer blond hair and violet eyes instead of blue. Alfred grinned at his brother.

"Come on, Matthew! Good morning is so unoriginal. You need a better greeting then that!" comment Alfred as he sat down at the table, tossing his jacket by his feet. Matthew raised one golden eyebrow as he put the last pancake on a plate. Matthew put a plate of pancakes in front of Alfred and put the one in front of his spot.

"How am I suppose to greet you then? Plus I like good morning, and you hate it when I speak in French." asked Matthew as he started pouring maple syrup on his pancakes. Alfred immediately put a thick layer of butter on his pancakes as he gave it some thought.

"What about: Here comes the Hero!" Alfred offered and jumped up to do a heroic pose. Matthew glanced up at him and blinked. A clear message of 'no'

"You could sing my theme song." teased Alfred as he grabbed the table sugar. Something like Captain America or Superman sounded really good to Alfred...

"And inflate your ego? No way." replied Matthew. Matthew expression went blank as he watch Alfred dump sugar on the buttered surface until each pancake was white. Alfred then rolled them into tight rolls and covered them in maple syrup. Matthew nose crinkled as he watched Alfred pick one up and stuff it into his mouth.

"That is both insulting and disgusting" commented Matthew.

"Like practically soaking yours in syrup isn't the same thing." Countered Alfred with his mouthful.

"I'm the one that made them, I am allowed to do that." Matthew replied as he put a piece in his mouth. Soon they settled and the only sound was their utensils and the crunch of the sugar being chewed. The both heard a voice singing _"I can feel the heat but it's soothing." _Ack that was Alfred cell! Where did he put it?

_"Heading down, I search for the beat in this dirty town." _Alfred checked the left pocket of his uniform pants. Not there

"_Down town the young ones are going."_ Right pocket was also a no...  
_"Down town the young ones are growing."_ Wasn't in his vest pockets...

_"__We're the kids in America. Ohhhh!"_ Where the hell was his cell?  
_"We're the kids in America. Ohhhh!"_ He picked up his jacket searching the pockets...  
_"Everybody live for the music-go-round!"_ AH HA! Found it! Alfred immediately answered his phone.

"Hello?"

"Yo, Hamburger bastard!" came extremely familiar grumpy and Italian voice.

"Oh, hey Lovino. What's up?" asked Alfred who was lucky enough to be immune to grumpy Italian.

"Reminding you that the events on tonight." stated Lovino. Alfred could picture his expression. Then the words hit him.

"What? I thought it was tomorrow!" he exclaimed, which earned a baffled look from his brother. Crap, he had forgotten, he had plans today...

"Idiot! Roderick been repeating the date for weeks. I knew you would forget." barked Lovino. In the back ground, Alfred swore he could hear Feliciano talking to Ludwig. That would explain his mood. Lovino may not be a people person but in the morning, he wasn't too bad. Alfred put this slight friendly nature as Lovino being half asleep.

"Dude, I thought you hated me." questioned Alfred playfully, this just annoyed Lovino more.

"Bastard, you're my partner. If you aren't there, I can't go there. You forget and I will kick your ass!" yelled Lovino who managed to sound both angry and embarrassed at the same time.

"Dude, chill. I'll be there." was Alfred reply.

With that he hung up and stuffed his last pancake into his mouth. Matthew looked up at him and asked "What was that about?" Shit, what would be a good excuse?

"Lovino helping me with a project. I thought we were meeting tomorrow but we are actually meeting today. I'm going to be home late so don't make me any supper." he explained. Please believe it, Please believe it, Pleaseeeeeeeeeeee!... Matthew nodded in understanding. Mentally Alfred sighed in relief.

"Okay, I have hockey practise anyway." Matthew glanced at the clock. "We better get going, class starts at eight and it is already seven." With that the two brothers pulled on their bags. Matthew waved as he headed for the bus stop and Alfred grinned as he got on his motorcycle. If everything went well, the day would be the best he had ever had. With that, Alfred kicked the stand up and rode his way to school. Without a helmet, of course, because what kind of hero wears helmets?

**XXXXXX**

** First chapter ever! Yay! Anyone know the song that was Alfred was using? *snickers* Anyways, this took me a while since Alfred is hard for me. That and my computer wanted to change 'Lovino' into 'Loving.' Somehow I don't think Romano would like that...The next one will appear soon. It just needs some minor editing! Oh and this is based off a song. If someone can guess what it is before the end, I will write them a one-shot of their choice. Please read and Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello! Here is the second chapter!**

**XXXXX**

Ivan awoke to the sound of glass breaking. He immediately sat up, heart pounding, hoping it wasn't Natalya trying to break into his room via the window.(She has tried already three times this week) Five seconds later, he could hear the sounds of crying and he knew one of the brothers had dropped something. He sighed both relived and annoyed. This was the third time something had broke. Why did Father have to buy glass? Metal or plastic would work just as well.

Getting up while wearing only a pair of sweat pants and thick socks, He followed the noise of crying. Sure enough, in the living room, Raivis had dropped one of the expensive vases. As soon as Raivis saw him, he shrieked. Ivan rubbed his temples. It was too early in the morning for this... "Raivis, it is me; not Father. No need to panic, da?" he stated as he rubbed his violet eyes.

Raivis blinked then looked embarrassed. Not that Ivan could blame him, he and his father were practically identical...For as long as Ivan could remember, Toris, Eduard and Raivis had been Ivan adopted family. However Father was rather cruel to them and treated them as servants or as dogs. Oh course, it didn't help that when Ivan was younger, he didn't know his own strength. So every time he tried to play with his adopted siblings, he would accidently hurt them. Ivan liked to believe he had been forgiven for those mistakes. Wasn't easy since whenever they got scared, Ivan would wonder if it was because they mistake him for Father or if they were really scared of him.

He intercepted Raivis strings of apologies with a "Just be more careful next time, da? It was just a vase." Raivis nodded and went to go get a broom. Ivan ran a hand through his very pale blonde hair and his violet eyes were tired and sore. Ivan had a test today so he had stayed up to study. He got down on his knees and started picking up all the bigger shards of the vase. He gathered them into a pile. He glanced up to see Raivis was back and looking very nervously at him.

"S-S-Sir, you shouldn't do that. I-I'll take care of it." Stuttered the boy. Ivan smiled at him.

"It's okay. I have time to kill any way. Not to mention you are barefoot, you could hurt yourself, da." stated Ivan. He could see Raivis's toes underneath the way too big pants.

Raivis looked embarrassed and muttered "I had worse things done than glass in my feet." Ivan flinched at his words but could not deny them. When Raivis knelt down to sweep the bigger shards, Ivan reached over and ruffled his hair. He was trying to be affectionate but guessing by Raivis expression, Ivan was hurting him. He pulled away his hand and muttered "Sorry"

Raivis gave him a small smile and said "I-It's okay. I-I know you are just aren't use to your strength." Then the boy chuckled and said "I still believe I would be taller if you and Father would stop squishing me."

Ivan grinned and offered "I could always try and stretch you." Raivis gave him a startled look which made Ivan chuckle. "That was a joke, da." Ivan told him. Raivis grinned and together they cleaned up the mess. That done, Ivan wandered to the kitchen to find Eduard and Katsuya talking and making breakfast. From the looks of it, Katsuya was making oladis with honey and raspberries. Ivan favourite, yum!

"Morning brother" greeted Katsuya with a big grin. Ivan said a greeting in Russian, heading straight to the fridge. He grabbed the juice and immediately drank straight from it, not bothering to get a glass. He managed to finish it in three gulps. Katsuya looked at him and gave him a withering look.

"You could have got a glass." Commented his sister in her light scolding tone. Her nose was crinkled up so Ivan knew she wasn't really annoyed.

"Less mess that way." pointed out Ivan as he tossed the container into the recycling. Katsuya smiled at him obliviously happy. Ivan grabbed one of oladis, and started to eat it. It was nice and warm which caused the honey practically melt on it. Ivan hummed happily and said "Вы хорошо Кук, Katsuya" (**You are a good cook, Katsuya) **His sister giggled and flipped another oladi.

Just as he was grabbing a second one, Eduard warned "Sorry to interrupt your happy moment but Natalya will be up in ten minutes." and gave Ivan a fearful look. Ivan immediately tensed and yelped "Crap!" before racing to his room. He pushed the oladi in his mouth and chewed so he could swallow quickly. Ivan pulled on his uniform as quickly as human possible. He yanked on his gloves and wrapped the scarf around his neck. Not to give the wrong idea, Ivan loved both his sisters and was very protective of them. Natalya just scared the living crap out of him. He raced down the steps and managed to get back to the kitchen before hearing the call of "Big brother? Where are you?"

"You know, you shouldn't avoid her all the time." pointed out Katsuya when he entered. She had plates out and Raivis and Eduard were already seated. It was extremely tempting to sit down and have breakfast with them. Then he remembered Natalya and the desire vanished.

"I will stop avoiding her when she stop trying to carve love letters into my arms." replied Ivan who was grabbing his lunch and bag to get out as quickly as possible. "I am going to walk to school with Yao-Yao. I'll see you when I get home." he told her as he grabbed three more oladis and a handful of raspberries.

"Remember you are helping me move out today." reminded Katsuya as Ivan gave her a peck on the cheek. Ivan scowled as he remembered what today was.

"Like I would forget that." replied Ivan dryly. How could he? Katsuya had finally graduated from university and, after a year of saving up the money, was moving out. Ivan was not happy. It was a big change. Since his mom had died, Katsuya had always be there. Now she wasn't going to be here anymore. It made him feel sad and lonely.

"Big brother? Where are you?" called Natalya sounding very close. Oh, would you look at the time...Ivan ran out of the house as fast as humanly possible. Hopefully spending time with Yao would make him feel better

**XXXX**

**Hurray for chapter two! What is with my computer and correcting names? It wanted me to put 'Ravish' instead of 'Raivis.' So not good thing! Anyways, I am horrible at writing accents so if anyone has advice, give it! Russia doesn't sound Russian right now... by the way, if anyone speaks Russian, correct me if I misspelled anything. I used a translator and I know those aren't the greatest. Next is Arthur so would love advice as too what people think his ring tone should be. Thanks for read and remember to review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Since no one posted opinions, I picked something for England ringtone. Will change if I get a better suggestion. **

**XXXXXX**

Arthur was awoken by the sound of voice singing _"__I admit that in the past I've been a nasty," _Arthur first thought "Please...no..._"_  
_ "They weren't kidding when they called me kind of strange"_ Oh all the bloody morning to wake him up early, why this one?  
_"But you'll find that nowadays, I've mended all my ways._ _Repented, seen the light, and made a change "_ There was only two people on this earth that would wake him up this early in the damn morning.  
_"And I fortunately know a little secret, It's a talent that I always have possessed"_ Almost immediately, the hangover headache smacked him. God, he either needed to get different friends or a new lifestyle. Which one would be easier?  
"_And dear lady, please don't laugh, I use it on behalf of the miserable, the lonely, and depressed,_" Ugh, and he didn't even open his eyes yet. Maybe smashing his cell phone would be enough...

_"__Pathetic!"_ With the skill of someone who done this way too many times, Arthur reached over, grabbed his cell, answered it, put it to his left ear and asked "What is it this time, you bloody frog?" all with his eyes close.

"_Mon petit lapin_, is that really how you greet friends in the morning?" came Francis reply. Francis was the only person (other than Alfred) who would call him in the damn morning. Suddenly Arthur headache intensified. I wonder why?

"Only when they wake me up when I have a hangover." Growled the boy who still wasn't opening his eyes.

"And I thought I knew how to have parties." purred the French man. Arthur flipped him off, even though the Francis wouldn't be able to see it. Why was he friends with this guy again? Oh, right Francis was cousins with Matthew and Alfred. If Arthur didn't keep an eye on him, who knows what the frog would do?

"Francis, tell me why you are calling or I am hanging up." threatened Arthur as he ran a hand through his hair.

"I had a, um..., an late night last night and I need a ride to school. Gilbert and Antonio aren't answering their phones." explained Francis. Oh? A late night? That did not surprise the British boy. At all. Arthur rubbed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose

"Who were you with last night?" It wasn't really a question since Arthur could guess...

"... Michelle" was Francis meek answer. Ha! Arthur was right. Not that was really a good thing...

"Fine, wait for me. I'll come get you." stated Arthur with a sigh.

"_Merci__ beaucoup_! I will owe you one." cheered Francis. Arthur could hear the smile in his tone. Arthur scowled.

"You owe me about hundred since you never repay me!" He snapped

"Details!" yelped Francis

At that, Arthur growled, hung up, opened his green eyes and slowly dragged himself out of bed. The lights were sending spikes of pain into his head. He was going to need sunglasses... With that thought, he pulled on some clothes. Not his uniform, he was skipping today. He had work to do and his hangover wasn't good for studying. He washed his hair and towel dried it as he dug through his messy room to find sunglasses and his car keys. He found his glasses but not his keys. Arthur tried to remember where he had put them. Oh right, Ion had been the designated driver so he had the keys. Arthur left his room and guessed his roommate had crashed on the couch.

Turns out he was correct. With messy blonde hair and red eyes shut, Ion was passed out on the couch. Arthur noted the multiple wine bottles scattered over the couch and floor. Ion must have opened them after driving home. Arthur sighed and rubbed his head. He entered the kitchen to find some Tylenol. As he was searching, he found a pack of his cigarettes. He placed one in his mouth and used a match to light it. The puff of smoke made him feel a little calmer. Finally, he found the medicine and tossed two pills down. Three puffs and he tossed back a glass of water. Then he went back to the living room Not being nice in the slightest, Arthur opened the blinds and lit up the room. Since Ion was more light sensitive then Arthur but just as hangover, Ion reaction was more than a little annoyed. He hissed like a cat and turned away from the light.

"Arthur, please turn off the light. Or I will be forced to break your neck." threatened Ion. Arthur smirked. Only when Ion was hung over was he nasty. The rest of the time, he was a bit flirtatious like Francis and a eccentric.

"I need my keys." Arthur explained. Ion grunted as he reached into his left pocket. Then he tossed the keys to Arthur. Arthur closed the blinds and asked him "While I am out, do you need anything?"

"Just get me some tomato juice" Ion grumbled then fell back asleep. Arthur guessed this was for one of the Romanian's many hangover treatments. He personally hoped it would be the Bloody Mary method; he actually liked that one. With a nod, Arthur left the dorm room and took the stairs to get to the parking lot. Once there, he spotted his car. A rather pretty blue Rolls Royce. Arthur quickly checked it over but found no mark. Good, one time he let Ion drive home, the man had managed to smash one of the window and get someone phone number keyed into it door... Arthur took one last puff and dropped the cigarette. He snuffed it out with his foot. Arthur opened the door and slipped in.

Arthur was greeted by the smell of alcohol, leather and cigarettes. He quickly shut the door and turn the ignition. Once moving, Arthur put on his sunglasses. Arthur checked his wallet and found a twenty it there. Good, he knew he was going to need to hit a drive thru since the frog was going to be hungry. With a sigh, he opened his window to get rid of the smell of smoke and alcohol in the car. After all, Francois was always threatening to clean his car and Arthur head didn't want a lecture. He popped a breath mint in his mouth and drove off.

**XXXX**

** Arthur is done! For some reason, I really like this one. Couldn't resist giving him that song, it suit him to well! I was thinking about Green sleeves at first, however this worked even better. To explain some stuff, there will be six intro chapters just so you know what their homes are like. There is a reason for it, I swear! Hope you guys are enjoying this. Please Review! It makes me feel like I am not posting something that no one likes. So next is either Yao or Francis. If you have a preference, let me know.**


	4. Chapter 4

Yao woke up to the sounds of his alarm. With a yawn, he hit the alarm and tried to get out of the bedroom without disturbing Kiku, Wong Kha and Yong Soo. Not easy since Kiku shared a bed with Yao, Wong Kha was a very light sleeper and Yong Soo was sprawled all over the floor. Yao would bet his favourite Hello Kitty that Wong Kha had kicked him out of bed they shared. Yao got out of bed slowly which caused Kiku to roll over but not wake up. Yao observed the floor noting where the squeaky boards were, where they were books and where Yong Soo limbs were. Carefully, Yao walked careful around the books and boards. Aiya! Why was his brother so messy?

Then Yao realised Yong Soo had managed to block the door. Yao growled under his breath and leaned over to open the door. Once opened, Yao took a step back, turned around and flipped over Yong Soo. Normally he didn't like doing this, but sometimes he had no choice. Yao landed perfectly and without a sound. Yao grinned at his small success and quietly snuck to the kitchen. The kitchen was tiny and spotless. _Juh shi suh mo go dohng shee_? They could keep every other room clean but their own? _Duhn Ruhn. _Yao poured water into the kettle and turned on the stove. He eyed the clock on the stove debating whether or not he should do his usual warm up or just start breakfast.Finally the water was boiling, so he put three teaspoons of tea in the tea pot and poured the hot water into it.

While the tea steeped, Yao went to the bathroom to shower and get ready. Part of the reason why he got up early was so he could have the shower to himself. His sister, Xiao Mei, had a bad habit of using up their limited supply of hot water. So Yao had long since learned that getting the shower first would let him get clean at a decent temperature. So far only Kiku had figure this out as well, so Yao sometimes would hear his other brother getting cold showers. Which was a source of amusement for everyone not in the shower. The other reason was so he could practice his tai chi. After showering and pulling his still damp hair into a pony tail, Yao went into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of calming green tea. He had barley slipped it when there was a loud crash and yelling. His brothers were awake...

"Morning, Kiku!" cried the cheerful voice of Yong Soo. The tiny house they lived in had thin walls and floor boards so naturally you could hear entire conversations in the whole house. Most likely, Kiku had just woken up and accidently stepped on Yong Soo. Causing Kiku to crash onto the floor and both boys to yell in pain.

"Why were you sreeping on the froor?" questioned Kiku. There was rustling sound indicating they were getting back to their feet. A third set of footsteps joined them.

"He was groping me in the middle of the night, while I was trying to sleep. Can you blame me?" came Wong Kha voice. Looks like the other two had woken their brother up...

"That wasn't very nice." commented Kiku

"Kicking your brother out of bed was not invented in Korea. However this was! Da-ze!" cried Yong Soo. Yao guessed he was trying to tackle Kiku

"You are invading my personal space!" Yep, he was right...

"Your breasts belong to me!" was Yong Soo cheerful call. Seriously who was that cheerful in the morning?

_Smack!_

_ "_OW!" cried Yong Soo. Ah, Wong Kha must have smacked him on the head...

"Stop acting like an idiot." stated Wong Kha. See? Told you...

"_Arigato, Ani-kun_" said Kiku

So much for Tai chi practice...

"If you three are done fighting, bathroom free, aru. I'm also making breakfast so if you want something, let me know, aru!" called Yao. There were some fast footsteps coming down the stairs. Wong Kha was first, he barely turned his head before saying "Bao;" and racing to the bathroom. Kiku was close on his tail. However Kiku wasn't fast enough and got there last. Yao did his best not to laugh at Kiku expression.

"Bao, aru?" asked Yao

"Please" replied Kiku who sounded defeated. Yao turned away to hide an amused smile. He already had the dough made so all that was needed was the stuffing. Finally Yong Soo appeared.

"Morning, Sensei!" cried the boy as he flung himself at Yao. Yao timed his kick perfectly, hitting the kid on the forehead gently and managed to stop Yong Soo. Kind of like the movement a soccer player would use to stop a ball.

"Breakfast, aru?" questioned Yao, feeling like the only other mature person then Kiku.

"Breakfast was invented in Korea and so was kimchi! So can I have that for breakfast?"asked Yong Soo who seemed totally okay with the fact that Yao had kicked him in the head.

"No, aru. Kimchi is a condiment, aru. You can have bao with kimchi, aru." reminded Yao. Yong Soo pouted and flopped down on his seat. Yao pulled out the ingredients and got to work.

"Can I help?" asked Kiku. Yao nodded and the two brother got to work. Bao was fairly easy. Make dough, make filling, stuff dough and steam. Yao decided to do pork, since there was plenty left over from last night's dinner. The two managed to get one bunch done by the time Wong Kha was done in the bathroom. He was dressed but not in uniform. Yao frowned and opened his mouth to question Wong Kha. Then Mei entered the kitchen with a sleepy greeting of "Moring..."

Kiku immediately dropped the dumping he was working on and raced to the bathroom. He ran straight past Mei. Her expression was sleepy confusion until she saw where Kiku was heading. Then understanding smacked her awake and she yelped "Hey! Kiku! Not fair!" before racing after him. Yong Soo immediately started laughing. Yao had to cover his mouth to muffle his giggles. Even the serious, Wong Kha grinned. Everyone in school thought Kiku was a passive boy who was extremely polite. His siblings knew better.

"Wong Kha, Why are you out of uniform, aru?" asked Yao after getting over the giggles.

"I have a job to do and I need to prepare today." explained Wong Kha. Yao felt concern and even Yong Soo looked worried. The family lived in a bad neighbourhood with a lot of unfriendly groups and gangs. The groups would sometime offer false jobs to get members to join. Due to the family...ummmm...reputation, the siblings had dealt with a lot of false job claims and some of the other methods as well.

"I checked them out already. It is perfectly safe. Even one of your classmates is going." stated Wong Kha. A classmate of his?

"What the job?" asked Yao.

"There is a party going on at the beach and they want someone to do fireworks. I was hired as well as two other gentlemen. I recognise one from your class photo. Blonde hair, green eyes, big eyebrows? Remember him?" Asked Wong Kha. That sounded like Arthur but Yao knew Arthur had no interest in fireworks. Anything supernatural or related to punk music? Yes. Fireworks? Nope.

"Alright, but keep your cell phone on and stay away from anything involving alcohol." Yao warned as he pulled out the complete bunch and put in the next bunch of Bao. He quickly plopped three into a travel bag for Wong Kha.

"_Joo how rin, di_, aru" said Yao with a grin as he handed over the bag.

"Thanks." replied Wong Kha. Then he did something he hadn't done since he was little. Wong Kha wrapped his arms very briefly around Yao's waist in a quick hug. Yao blinked in surprised and hugged him back feeling a warm feeling in his chest. Then Wong Kha let go and left after calling a good bye to Kiku, Mei and Yong Soo. Yong Soo eyed the bao and grabbed one. Then he dug around in the fridge to find the kimchi. Kiku came back, dressed and raven hair wet. Yao offered the plate and Kiku grabbed one. Yao took the last one and happily bit into one. Yong Soo reappeared with a fork and the jar of kimchi. He already had some of the spices smeared on his face.

"Aiya! That takes a lot of time and money to make, aru! Don't eat it so quickly, aru!" complained Yao. Yong Soo gave him a happy grin.

"It is too yummy! Da-ze!" He cheered. Suddenly there was a loud blaring horn. Yong Soo raised an eyebrow, Yao looked startled and Kiku looked almost scared.

"Prease ret that not be Feliciano driving." Kiku muttered before looking out the window. He immediately looked relieved. "It is Feliciano but Rudwig is driving. My friends are giving me a rift" Kiku grabbed his lunch, gave Yao a polite bow, tried to bow to Yong Soo but had to dodge the kids hug and then quickly went to his friends. Mei then appeared.

"Where did Kiku go?" she asked. She was wearing normal clothes but she wasn't in high school yet.

"Just missed him." stated Yong Soo. Then he did the mental math and realized who was getting the cold shower. His next sentence was in Korean but will not be translate. (You can guess why) Both Yao and Mei gave him withering looks.

"I got to go now. There another batch cooking so you both can have that. Be good and have a good day" said Yao. Yong Soo immediately threw himself at Yao to hug him. Yao smiled and hugged him back. Mei rolled her eyes before giving Yao a small peck on the cheek. Then she turned away and looked fairly annoyed. Yao waved good bye and went outside. He started to head to school and sighed.

"Hello, Yao-Yao." called a familiar Russian voice. Yao glanced over his shoulder and spotted Ivan walking towards him. He slowed down so Ivan could catch up. Life was not a lot fun for Yao. He had several siblings to take care of, a job to keep, gangs to keep away and some relationships that need to be mended. Things that a lot of seventeen year old shouldn't have to deal with. Yet, as Ivan caught up to him and gave Yao a bright grin. Yao couldn't help but feel a little better.

"Good morning, Ivan." Yao said, not realizing a smile was starting to form on his face.

**XXXX**

_Juh shi suh mo go dohng shee? =_** What the hell is this crap?**

_Duhn Ruhn _= **of course**

_Arigato, Ani-kun _= **Thank you, older brother**

_Joo how rin, di_, = **Good luck, brother**

** Chapter four! I feel sorry for Yao. His home situation is the hardest and our bad guys are going to be very nasty to him. *Sighs* Can't reveal what going to happened cause that would ruin the story. I used Mandarin for China (Only one I have a book on) and Japanese for Japan. If I made any errors people are allowed to tell me. If you want to see the flip Yao did go to ** watch?v=Oy9-bSO29bI **and look at the flip at **0:44-0:46. **I recommend not doing it in your own home. Yao is a fictional character. You are not so don't try any of this at home. Next is Francis! Remember to review!**


	5. Chapter 5

Francis was shaken to a state of alertness that morning. Which is extremely starling and sent a bolt of pain into Francis head. It took him a second to recognize his surroundings. Instead of the dorm room he shared with Gilbert and Antonio, he was in a room that was sky blue. Michelle's room. He was at Michelle house. The one shaking him was Michelle.

"_Bonjour mon chère_" he purred with a playful tone. Michelle gave him a playful smile and Francis noticed she had a few marks on her shoulders from last night. Francis smiled at his handy work. Her trade mark ribbons were on the floor so her beautiful black hair was messy and flowing around her naturally

"_Bonjour mon amour_" she replied. Francis pulled her into his arms and kissed her on the lips. He pulled away and was about to offer to make breakfast when she spoke first.

"Sorry Francis, my parents are coming home soon. I need you to shower quickly and leave. Nothing personal, of course." Michelle said. Francis mentally sighed but on the outside, he grinned seductively and purred "but of course. I will go use the shower."

He got out of her bed and picked up his scattered clothes. Only when he was in the bathroom did he actually sigh. The problem with no string relationships was that it was just for the action, not the feelings. That meant Francis often got kicked out the moment problems surfaced. Though he wasn't feeling really that hurt. Francis just felt a little...empty. It was a feeling that he had for about two years now...

He showered quickly and got dressed. Michelle had changed into a night gown and was still in bed. Francis didn't bother to kiss her or wave good bye as he left. What was the point? She wasn't his girlfriend. Francis headed left to where he knew was a decent coffee shop. Only realizing once he get there that he had no money and no clue how to get home. With a groan, he called Gilbert. It rang three times before "_Hello, you have reached the phone of the awesome Gilbert! I am doing something more awesome right now so leave a message after the beep. The awesome me will get back to you!"_ Knowing Gilbert, he was either not awake or had forgotten the cell at home.

Francis didn't bother to leave a message. Antonio was next but that one went directly to _"Hello, this is Antonio! I am currently busy at the moment either hanging with amigos or playing foot ball. Leave a message at the beep and have a great day!"_. Antonio must have let it die again. Francis sighed, he really needed some different friends. Finally, he was left with calling Arthur. The phone was ringing but Arthur was taking his time. Right when Francis was getting worried, Arthur answered it.

"What is it this time, you bloody frog?" came Arthur slightly raspy voice. Great, he had been drinking last night...

"_Mon petit lapin_, is that really how you greet friends in the morning?" replied Francis reply. Damn, he needed the ride. If Arthur said no, he could always try Gilbert again...

"Only when they wake me up when I have a hangover." Growled Arthur

"And I thought I knew how to have parties." purred the French man. He knew this would annoy Arthur and smiled as he pictured Arthur. Knowing him, he was lying in bed and looking a little sleepy. Also with his lovely blonde hair in bed head...

"Francis, tell me why you are calling or I am hanging up." threatened Arthur, snapping Francis out of his thoughts and making him wince. How was he going phrase this?

"I had a, um..., a late night last night and I need a ride to school. Gilbert and Antonio aren't answering their phones." explained Francis. Both mentally and physically, Francis tensed, waiting for Arthur reaction...

"Who were you with last night?" was Arthur tried voice. That stung a lot more then Francis wanted to admit.

"... Michelle" was Francis meek answer. There was a moment of silence before

"Fine, wait for me. I'll come get you." stated Arthur with a sigh.

"_Merci__ beaucoup_! I will owe you one." cheered Francis. He couldn't but feel a slight warmth at the thought of seeing Arthur.

"You owe me about hundred since you never repay me!" Arthur snapped.

"Details!" yelped Francis

He heard the phone click as Arthur hung up on him. He sat down and waited. Arthur would be at least half an hour. Francis sighed and ran his hands through his blonde hair. No point moping on his messed up relationships, he was the one who put himself in them. Arthur finally showed up, and reached over to open the door without getting out himself. Francis was greeted by the faint smell of cigarettes and a half formed smile. He smiled at Arthur, his usually flirty one and slid in beside him. He shut the door behind him. Arthur stepped on the gas and started heading to the school.

"Thanks" said Francis.

"Why don't you have your car with you, Francis?" was Arthur response. Sigh, just like Arthur to go straight for the topic Francis didn't want to talk about.

"It is complicated. I must endure for the battle of _l'amour_" explained Francis smoothly. Arthur glanced at him, his glasses shifted away from his eyes. Francis couldn't help but notice that the slight redness from his hangover made Arthur's green eyes more noticeable.

"So you are not just in another no string relationship?" _Zut alors_! His _lapin_ knew him way too well!

"Why would you guess that?" asked Francis trying to hide his panic.

"We used to date, Francis. I know that you will use the bus to go to someone house when you aren't allowed to be there. Or did you forget?" the last part came out very cold and Francis had to suppress a shudder. How could he forget the relationship he once had with Arthur? The happy moments, the sad times, the warm feeling when they were with each other, their special night, the incident, the break-up, the broken feeling inside, how could Francis forget that?

"I remember, I just figured you rather forget that." muttered Francis. Then something caught his eye.

"Arthur, why aren't you in uniform?" questioned Francis.

"I have something I need to do today. So I'm skipping." answered Arthur calmly

"What about your marks? Won't they drop?" yelped Francis. Last thing he wanted was Arthur to get in trouble...

"I already know everything and getting 99% in almost all my subjects. I'm fine." stated Arthur. Francis couldn't resist asking "Even in cooking?" with a smirk on his face. Arthur gave him a sharp glare.

"I will kick you out of this car." threatened Arthur. Francis laughed and noticed that Arthur was struggling not to smile.

"Arthur, you are easy to read." joked Francis. Arthur gave him the very familiar smirk.

"If I am easy to read then you are practically an open book, frog." he declared. Francis smirked as he looked out the window. If he was an open book, then he and Arthur would still be together... and the empty feeling in Francis heart would be gone.

**XXXXX**

** Ha! Francis is done! If it isn't very clear, Arthur and Francis used to date (keyword: dating, not 'no string relationship') but something happened that made them break up which Francis regrets and Arthur is still upset about. So their current relationship status is very complicated. I do like Francis, but I still think he is a bit of a womanizer so you might see that in this story. Hope everyone likes. Next is Matthew! Then we really get into the main focus of the story. Thank you for reading all this! Remember to read and review! **


	6. Chapter 6

**RANDOM FACT TIME! (I add this for fun. You can skip this)**

**Do you know that most countries are known either for their teas or coffee? There are very few countries that make both teas and coffees. ** **You either are known for your tea (England, China, Japan) or your coffees (America, Canada). Some examples of countries that do both are Italy and France. However it is a good note to remember that Italy makes strong coffees but weak teas. France also make good teas but it is more common to see people drinking coffee in those cafes. Thus starts the tea vs. coffee debate.**

**XXXXX**

To say that Matthew woke up that morning would not be 100% accurate. It would be much more accurate to say that at 5:30 in the morning, Matthew gave up trying and just got up. Almost immediately Kuma (Matthew had forgotten the pet's name. So it got the nickname Kuma) looked up at him from its spot on the bed. Matthew smiled and petted the fur at the top of its head. "Morning Kuma." he greeted. The bear made it usual greeting growl then got up to sleep in the spot where Matthew had been attempting to sleep. Maple, the lucky bear did not have insomnia unlike his owner. Matthew sighed and decided to make some coffee then shower.

Matthew wandered into the kitchen and went straight to the coffee machine. Coffee was really the only reason why Matthew was still sane. The lack of sleep was driving him crazy. Matthew dared anyone who was thinking he is whining, to go more than month of no sleep. It was not fun! He poured in the water and coffee powder and turned on the machine. That's when he heard _"__Please, please forgive me,"_ Maple, that was his phone!  
"_But I won't be home again." _Unlike Alfred, Matthew knew exactly where his cell phone was. He managed to grab it off the kitchen table before it got to the third verse. He hit the button and said "Hello? Who is this?"

"Matthew?" came the ever adorable voice of Lili Zwilingi. The little sister of the school ever loving gun otaku. Matthew immediately smiled, happy to hear from her.

"Hey, Lili. How are you?" he asked. Matthew didn't get a lot of phone calls so he liked making them last.

"I'm okay. What about you?" Lili asked

"I'm alright. I finished the song last night, by the way." answered Matthew. He would be much better if he could sleep. Only good part was that he had more time to do stuff. Including favours for friends.

"Really? What did you think? Do you think big brother will like it?" asked Lili, her voice filled with joy. Matthew couldn't help feeling a little proud of himself.

"You did a great job on it. If I didn't know better, I would have thought you had been doing this for years." replied Matthew knowing that the complement would make her happy.

"Thank you. Do you want me to come by after school to get it back?" asked Lili. Matthew mental debating about that. Vash was famous for being very over protective of his sister and quick to jump anyone who got too close. It might be safer to pass it to someone else...

"Why don't I give it to Roderick? He's teaching you how to play the piano, right?" offered Matthew

"That might not be a good idea. If you give it Roderick, he might say something to big brother. I want the song I wrote to be a surprise." answered Lili. Darn, he was just going to have to risk it...

"I'm guessing this is a birthday present?" guessed Matthew who was getting curious.

"More like a cheer-up gift. Big brother been really sad lately. His luck hasn't been too good" replied Lili. Vash having problems? Matthew didn't know Vash too well but his impression was that the guy was very good at moving past problems...

"I'm sure it will improve soon. This is your brother we are talking about, I'm pretty sure he would manage to keep off an alien invasion." he joked which earned him a laugh from Lili.

"Big brother has a club meeting today so I am meeting him there. You can met me by the big tree and give me the tape then?" Offered Lili. Matthew figured that would be safe.

"Okay, I will see you then." sated Matthew

"Good bye." said Lili

"Have a good day." said Matthew before hanging up. Noticing his coffee was ready. Matthew eagerly poured himself a cup and took a gulp. It burned his tongue but he really did not care. Coffee gooood...Matthew glanced at the clock and realize that he should go shower before waking his brother. Matthew took one more big gulp before showering and getting ready. As he was brushing his hair, Matthew thought about Lili. Lili had asked him to look over the song she had wrote for her brother. How she knew he was talented in music, he had no clue.

Matthew had two things about him that stood out. One was that he was the hockey team star player the other was that he was a good singer. The latter was less known since Matthew had only sang for his brother and his cousin Francis. Matthew scowled as he connected the dots. He was going to have to talk to Francis. Alfred maybe a bit childish but he was surprising good at keeping his mouth shut about secrets. Francis, on the other, liked to boast about his cousins. Maple hockey...

Finally done, Matthew went back to the kitchen to refill his coffee and get started on breakfast. There was only two ways to wake his brother in the morning. Make breakfast or put ice cubes down his shirt. Matthew smirked as he made the batter. He had some fond memories of waking his brother with ice cubes. Especially when he brought one of his many admirers home to stay the night. As Matthew made the pancakes, he fried some bacon for Kuma. This made the bear come running into the room. Once the bacon was ready, Matthew put it into a bowl for Kuma as well as some water.

By the time Matthew was almost done the pancakes, Matthew debating if he should get the ice cubes or not. Then he heard his brother moving to the bathroom. Darn, he was looking forward to that...

"Dude, it smells awesome in here!" Alfred cried as a greeting. Matthew glanced away from the perfect pancake in the pan and replied "Good morning to you to, Alfred." Alfred grinned at his brother.

"Come on, Matthew! Good morning is so unoriginal. You need a better greeting then that!" comment Alfred as he sat down at the table, tossing his jacket by his feet. Matthew raised one golden eyebrow as he put the last pancake on a plate. Matthew put a plate of pancakes in front of Alfred and put the one in front of his spot.

"How am I suppose to greet you then? Plus I like good morning, and you hate it when I speak in French." asked Matthew as he started pouring maple syrup on his pancakes. Alfred immediately put a thick layer of butter on his pancakes. Oh please let him not be doing what Matthew thinks he is doing...

"What about: Here comes the Hero!" Alfred offered and jumped up to do a heroic pose. Matthew glanced up at him and blinked. No way was he doing that

"You could sing my theme song." teased Alfred as he grabbed the table sugar. That would be another thing he wouldn't do.

"And inflate your ego? No way." replied Matthew. Matthew expression went blank as he watch Alfred dump sugar on the buttered surface until each pancake was white. Yep he was right... Alfred then rolled them into tight rolls and covered them in maple syrup. Matthew nose crinkled as he watched Alfred pick one up and stuff it into his mouth. You would think after years of Alfred doing that, Matthew would get use to it.

"That is both insulting and disgusting" commented Matthew.

"Like practically soaking yours in syrup isn't the same thing." Countered Alfred with his mouthful.

"I'm the one that made them, I am allowed to do that." Matthew replied as he put a piece in his mouth. Soon they settled and the only sound was their utensils and the crunch of the sugar being chewed. Which made Matthew wince. That just was disgusting. Then both heard a voice singing _"I can feel the heat but it's soothing." _Alfred expression immediately turned panicky and he started searching his pocket. Matthew smiled and listen to the music while Alfred kept looking. Alfred finally found it and answered

"Hello?"

"Oh, hey Lovino. What's up?" asked Alfred. Lovino? When did Alfred start talking with Lovino? Matthew was pretty sure they hung out in two very different social groups.

"What? I thought it was tomorrow!" Alfred exclaimed, which earned a baffled look from Matthew. What was he talking about? Lovino had to yelled the next part cause Matthew could faintly hear his voice.

"Dude, I thought you hated me." questioned Alfred playfully. Matthew barley knew Lovino and he knew that the guy was not someone to be teased. Alfred was digging his own grave...

"Dude, chill. I'll be there." was Alfred reply.

With that he hung up and stuffed his last pancake into his mouth. Matthew looked up at him and asked "What was that about?" He could have sworn Alfred paled at his question

"Lovino helping me with a project. I thought we were meeting tomorrow but we are actually meeting today. I'm going to be home late so don't make me any supper." Alfred explained in his normal tone. Matthew nodded in understanding. That would explain everything. If he remembered correctly Alfred and Lovino shared Mathematics together.

"Okay, I have hockey practise anyway." Matthew glanced at the clock. "We better get going, class starts at eight and it is already seven." With that the two brothers pulled on their bags. Matthew waved as he headed for the bus stop and Alfred grinned as he got on his motorcycle. Matthew had long since learned that you should never take rides from Alfred. The guy was a speed demon... Not to mention he knew a certain someone who always took the bus. Matthew grinned and walked just a little bit faster.

**XXXXXX**

**Yay Chapter six! This is the last of the intro chapters, now we really get into the story. There is one more key character but he doesn't get his own intro chapter. (If I did that, it would be major spoilers) Sorry I took so much time on this one. I can't post on weekends and then I was banned from the computer. My laptop internet and saving system is weird so I only use it for emergencies. Hope people like. Both Yao and Matthew really have issues in this story, I feel horrible already. If anyone has advice, give! Also I hope people like my random facts. If people don't I will stop them. Thank you for reading. Remember to review!**


	7. Chapter 7

Morozko was bored. He was standing outside the ever famous "Academy" watching his prey walk inside. He had so much hope that this one would be interesting. When he first saw his meal, the boy had so much fire. Now Morozko could tell that the boy fire was almost out. He was clinging to only two people and once Morozko was finished, the boy would be his. Morozko had only a month till the grand party and all he was finding were appetizers. The creature sighed. This high school was filled with appetizers, after the boy was dead, Morozko would have to go for more serious hunting.

Almost like a silent alarm had gone off, several cars, bikes, and students showed up. The time of the early birds was over, the main groups were arriving. A large group of girls appeared by the front door like they were waiting for something. Hmmm...Suddenly a motorcycle pulled up and all the girls squealed. The boy on the bike was not wearing a helmet so his blonde hair was extremely messy from the wind. He wore a bombers jacket and even Morozko could see the happy smile on his face. The boy parked and a couple of girls went to approach him. They were clearly cheerleaders. However none of that mattered to the Morozko. The boy smelled _delicious._

The creature could smell it. The boy was a very innocent soul which made him very sweet, yet there were traces of bitterness. Something in the boy life made him angry and it just made him smell even better. The leader of the cheerleaders seemed to be flirting with the boy and he clearly was not enjoying it. He leaned back whenever she leaned forward. Finally the boy said something; the cheerleader laughed and pecked him on the cheek. Then she left with her friends. She failed to see the boy was wiping her kiss off. Morozko smirked. There was already one meal that caught his eye. Morozko had planned to leave now but he decided to stay and watch the boy.

The boy spotted something and immediately started running. Morozko followed his line of sight and spotted the Rolls Royce. Another guy stepped out of the car and Morozko was hit by another delicious scent. The guy who had stepped out was also blonde but his hair was more gold where the boy was almost a light brown. His hair was in a ponytail and his smile was flirty. The creature smirked, Ponytail's soul was almost sour with regrets and was far from the sweet innocent that the boy was. It had been a long time since Morozko had had one of those sour souls. Ponytail and the boy seemed to know each other.

Ponytail and the boy briefly talked before the boy stuck his head into the car. Ponytail head turned away and Morozko could see two other boys were calling for him. One had silver hair, the other a brunette. Morozko thought he could faintly smell something from the silver haired one but he soon lost interest. Someone had else steeped out of the Rolls Royce which had caught his attention. This gentlemen was also blonde, (Morozko was starting wondering if most of the school population was blonde) and wore a different outfit from the other two. The boy seemed very happy to see him while the gentlemen looked like he wanted the boy to stop talking.

Gentlemen soul was rich in conflicting emotions and toxins. There was bitter anger, sour regret, and savory sadness. Not to mention the mix of alcohols and cigarettes was making each flavor just that stronger. That one soul would be an excellent meal. The two were now bickering over something and catching a lot of people attention. Including two more meals. One was a very tall Russian and the other was a raven haired man. They were watching the fight; the Russian was smiling in amusement, the raven hair looking less than impressed. A large group of students went to approach the pair. As soon as raven hair saw them, Morozko could smell the spicy stress level increase. The group would have swarmed the raven hair if the Russian wasn't there.

Once the group saw who was standing beside raven hair, most looked ready to flee in the opposite direction. The Russian looked confused and Raven hair sighed. Raven haired said something that made the Russian look less confused and sadder. Morozko caught the smell of savory and the saltiness of self-loathing. Five meals in one location? Morozko couldn't remember his luck ever being that good before. If he didn't know better, he would think it a gift from God. Then a sixth one caught his eye. The final one was identical to the boy whom the girls were drooling over. Only no one seemed to notice him, not even the group of boys who had bumped into him causing the twin to fall over.

The twin sighed before getting back up again. He brushed off his legs and continued walking. Morozko saw that the twin was looking rather longingly at something. Morozko followed his glaze and realized the twin was looking at Ponytail and his two friends. Sweetness, saltiness and savory were the twin's perfume. Morozko watched the boy enter and smiled to himself. Six appetizers or the beginnings of his feast? Morozko would need to observe them for a little while… with that thought he moved from his hiding spot to enter the building.

Had anyone looked up, they would have been startled to see a jet black spider crawl from the roof of the Academy to the open window of the art room.

~ / + \ ~

Alfred felt like going into the washroom to scrub the feeling of that kiss off his cheek. If there was one thing he hated more than when Arthur skipped for no apparent reason, it was that annoying cheerleader. Alfred was the school star football player (not soccer, the American football) and therefore all the girls wanted to date him. It really annoyed him. Not once had any of his 'admirers' actually tried to learn what he was really like. It was always 'take me here!' 'If you like me, get me this!' 'Alfred, you an idiot but you are still really attractive.' Grrrr… he was more than a pretty face, dammit!

"Alfred?" asked his period one Math teacher. Alfred blinked in surprise, and then felt really confused. What had been going on?

"Huh?" was Alfred intelligent response. The entire class laughed at him, except Lovino who was working away on something. Knowing Lovino, it had something to do with tonight's event or one of his interests. Alfred laughed along with them to cover his embarrassment. The teacher rolled her eyes, not amused.

"Alfred, do pay attention. Notes and good luck can only take you so far in life." commented the teacher. Alfred gave her a cheese-eating smile then sang

"Yes madam!" with a salute. Several students chuckled at Alfred. The teacher looked really annoyed.

"How you pass the tests, I have no idea. Must have something to do with Arthur and Matthew" she muttered but Alfred could hear her. Alfred bit back a rude comment. Yes, Alfred was a little slow. Yes, he wasn't a genius like his friend, Arthur. Yes, Alfred did not make honour roll every year like his brother, Matthew. Did that mean he was an idiot? Apparently. The teacher moved on and Alfred scowled as he scribbled down the notes. He was almost done when a paper ball hit him in the head.

Alfred picked it up and looked for the thrower. Sure enough, one of his team mates had thrown it and making gestures like he wanted Alfred to open it. His name was...Danny? Daniel? Something like that? Alfred opened the note which asked _"We still on for tonight?"_ Alfred mentally sighed before writing down _"Change of plans. I can't go" _then he tossed it back. Five seconds later, it hit him again.

Underneath was the message _"Why not? There will be food, beer and girls! The host even hired firework makers. It will be awesome!"_

Alfred wrote down. _"I have something more important to do."_ Alfred made sure the teacher back was turned before passing it back. A split second later, Alfred got it back.

_"Something? Or someone?" _Huh? What did that have to do with him not going to the beach party tonight? Alfred response: _"?" _

_"I saw Clare kiss you." _Clare? Was that the cheerleader? Alfred was not sure what she had to do with anything. Alfred quickly wrote: _"Not sure what you mean."_

_ "Come on, you have dinner together, you make-out, you know, spend the 'evening'?" _was Daniel response.Alfred was still baffled about what Daniel was hinting at. Did he mean going out on a date? The only person Alfred would want to date was a certain adorable raven haired bo- he meant girl! That right! Raven haired girl! Alfred, the quarterback, the hero, was completely into girls! (Yeah right...) Alfred ignored the heat on his cheeks and wrote down _"Still don't know what you are talking about"_

_"Dude, you can't be that innocent. The most popular boy in the whole school, who has almost every girl drooling over him, has never spent the night with a girl before?"_ Spent the night with a girl? Alfred remember letting his 'dates' crash at his place if there was too many issues getting them home. But they would be in the guest room. _"I have a group project tonight. End of story."_

Alfred tossed it back and timed it perfectly. It landed on Daniel desk just before the teacher turned around. Daniel was not so lucky. When he tried to throw it to Alfred, the teacher caught him.

"May I see that?" asked the teacher. Daniel reluctantly handed the note over. Alfred wondered if she would recognise his hand writing. The teacher started reading and guessing by her expression, she knew exactly what Daniel comments meant. Daniel had written a new message and whatever it was; it did not make her happy. She went into a big lecture about language in school, how a girl should be treated and underage drinking. Then gave Daniel detention and a promise that she was calling his parents. Everyone either gave Daniel looks of pity or smirked in amusement.

Then the bell rang and it was time for second period. Alfred was almost tempted to ask what Daniel final message was. Then he thought about the teacher's reaction and decided he was better of not knowing...

~ / + \ ~

"So _amigo_, where were you last night?" asked Antonio his tone coloured in curiosity. Francis looked up from his sketching with a sigh. As much as Antonio and Arthur hated each other, both seemed to know what question bothered him the most. Gilbert looked up from his…project? Was that what it was? The famous Bad Touch Trio was in period two art. Since they have a major independent project due in a couple of weeks, today was a work period. Antonio was working on a painting of a pirate ships in battle. (Francis swore it looked like Antonio had painted Arthur as the captain of the losing ship) Gilbert was making…something that looked vaguely like artwork. Francis was still debating about what to do so he was sketching an idea for a picture.

"You were with Michelle last night." Stated Gilbert in a bored tone. Oh come on! He wasn't that predictable! Or was he? _Zut alors_!

"Why on earth would you think that?" asked Francis trying to sound as innocent as possible. Gilbert gave him a withering look and Antonio looked confused.

"Isn't Michelle dating someone right now? Why would Francis be with her? I bet you were at that studio you like so much!" declared Antonio. Well at least some one didn't think he was just a womanizer…

Francis smiled and wrapped one arm around Antonio shoulders. He gave him an affectionate hug which made Antonio smile. Francis always felt a little better when he got Antonio to smile. Then Gilbert killed the moment by saying "Keep your hands to yourself, French fry." Francis gave him a look of annoyance.

"_Mon ami_, you make me sound like a pervert! I'm just hugging him!" declared Francis. Gilbert was back to his work and really not paying attention to his friends.

"You are a pervert and a nudist." Stated Gilbert. Wait, was he referring to that one little incident?

"Are you talking about the one time I showed up wearing only a leaf? Because I remember you once-" Francis got cut off as he dodge a lump of clay. Gilbert gave him a glare and hissed "You are not allowed to talk about that unawesome moment."

Francis chuckled. For anyone who was curious, Francis would just give them certain phrases and let them fill in the rest. Gilbert, beer, maple syrup, digital recorder, some cans of spray paint and the school P.A system. Thankfully only Francis and Antonio knew it had been him, but let's just say Gilbert did not like talking about it. Antonio was good about not mentioning. Francis liked to remind him once and a while, mostly for entertainment.

"Anyways, _pourquoi, _Antonio?" asked Francis returning to the original conversation.

"I was just curious. Are you guys going to the beach party tonight?" asked Antonio as he rubbed his nose and left a streak of paint across his face. Francis thought it was adorable, Gilbert sighed before grabbing a cloth to wipe it away.

"I'm going. I heard it is going to be awesome, so the awesome me should be there. What about you, Francis?" declared Gilbert once he was done. Francis debated about it. Parties were usually fun, but Francis had stuff to do.

_"Non, je ne suis pas aller." _stated Francis much to both of his friends surprise.

"You aren't going?" They both chorused. Francis chuckled at their startled expressions.

"Nope, I'm going to the studio tonight. I have something to work on and it's going to take me sometime. Plus that party only going to have beer, I prefer wine" pointed out Francis. Not to mention, Arthur always loved beer even though he always get emotional when drunk. Francis couldn't look at it without picturing Arthur expression… _Mal _Francis! You broke up with him two years ago! No thinking about him!

"Guess it you and I, Antonio" sighed Gilbert. Then he scrunched his face up as if he just remembered something unpleasant. "Wait a minute; you are hanging out with that Italian brat tonight. Fuck, I'm on my own" Commented Gilbert looking a little upset. Antonio sighed as he ran a hand through his chocolate locks. He sounded sad as he said "Lovino isn't a brat. He's just shy. I'm still going; Lovino told me he has plans tonight."

Gilbert and Francis exchanged looks. Both knew about Antonio's feelings for Lovino. Francis thought it was kind of sad. Antonio had adored Lovino since they were young and Antonio was convinced Lovino only liked girls. Not to mention half of the school population was homophobic. The treatment of the only gay couple in the school proved it. To protect Lovino, Antonio never asked Lovino out on a date. They would just hang out. Gilbert patted him on the shoulder saying "You don't need him to have fun! We haven't hung out for a while! You will have the awesome Gilbert with you."

Antonio smiled at the idea, then the bell rang. It was time for lunch. Antonio and Gilbert rushed around to put away their stuff. Francis just put his notebook into his bag. He glanced in his friend's direction, wondering what was taking them, and then saw IT. An ugly jet black spider that was staring directly at him. IT was hiding two shelves above Gilbert's head. Francis hearted pounded and he almost shrieked.

It was as big as Gilbert's head and Francis swore it was _smiling._ Green insect eyes stared back at Francis. Then IT seemed to vanish into thin air. What the hell? Francis then realise that Gilbert and Antonio were staring.

"Are you okay, Francis? You look like you have seen a ghost" commented Antonio. Francis quickly put on smile, trying to look confident.

"_Rein, _I thought I saw something but it was just my imagination." Francis said waving his hands in the universal "No big deal" sign. Antonio nodded but Gilbert made an expression like he didn't believe Francis. However he followed after Antonio and Francis for lunch. Francis pushed the memory of the spider aside. It was just his imagination, he was just a little too stressed out...

~ / + \ ~

Lunch time, a time that is either the best or worst period for a student. For Ivan, it was his least favourite time. The cafeteria was very large and filled with many tables. Only problem was finding the right table. Ivan looked around for the safest place to sit. Most were already packed. There were about five tables with seats available. One table had no one he recognised sitting there with one empty seats. That he knew he couldn't go to. Back when Ivan was younger and, well, more socially awkward, he tried to make friends. Sadly due to his strength and bad social skills, Ivan created a reputation of being a delinquent. Even as Ivan got older and got better at dealing with people, no one gave him a second chance. Ivan only friend was Yao. Everyone else knew him through reputation and truth be told, most of the story were completely false. Labels suck, especially when you got one stuck on you...

Ivan pushed away the thought and focused on a finding a table. The next one was the popular teens table. Only people Ivan recognised was Alfred and his brother Matthew. Ivan was kind of surprise to see Matthew there. He was pretty sure the guy wasn't that popular... He noticed that one of the other teens at the table said something. The whole group laughed, except Matthew. He seemed to be almost offended but kept his mouth shut. No one seemed to notice Matthew expression except Alfred. Alfred turned to his brother trying to see why Matthew was upset. Ivan had to look away at that point. Katsuya used to do that too. The instant he was upset, she would try and figure out why.

Next table had Yao's brother and friends but no Yao. Oh, that's right, Yao was usual at one of his club meeting at lunch. Hmmm...if it was just Kiku, Ivan might have gone over to sit there. Only it was all the siblings plus some of their friends. Kiku was trying to settle a fight between__Heracles and Sadik. (Good luck with that Kiku) Feliciano was talking with Ludwig and Lovino. Lovino was hissing at Ludwig, making the German rub his temples in annoyance and Feliciano act panicky. Ivan didn't feel comfortable with sitting there so he looked at the next table.

Table number four had the famous Bad Touch Trio. Ivan defiantly couldn't sit there. While most stories about Ivan were false, some of the rumor were not... _completely_ wrong. Ivan used to find Gilbert rather interesting and had wanted to be friends with him. Let's just say that the rumors about Gilbert and his fights were not 100% true...but they were not 100% wrong either. The three were... talking? Arguing? Bickering? Then Francis said something that made the other two start laughing. With a sigh, Ivan moved to the final table.

At Number five was... Toris and Feliks! The two were talking to each other and Ivan was delighted to see Toris looking so happy. Like he knew Ivan was nearby, Toris turned his head and met Ivan's eyes. If possible his smile got bigger, he waved and called "Hey Ivan!" Ivan smiled at his adopted sibling and went to go say hello.

"Hello Toris. How are you?" greeted Ivan who was tempted to join them. The only reason he didn't just sit down was because Feliks was there. Feliks looked really nervous, making Ivan suspect he was among the many who had hear rumors about him. Ivan really need a way to clean his reputation...

"I am good. Do you want to sit with us? You look like you don't know where to sit." offered Toris. It was that obvious?

"If that is okay with your friend, da" answered Ivan. Feliks jumped when he realized Ivan was talking about him. Then he made a annoyed expression and declared "Of course, it okay with me! Any friend of Liet is, like totally, my friend as well. I'm not, like, scared of you!"

Toris chuckled while Ivan grinned. Ivan sat across from the two boys. All three of them started eating and talking about school. Ivan thought Feliks was entertaining. He also noticed the two boys were holding hands underneath the table but would let go if anyone passed by.

"So are you going to the beach party?" asked Toris. Ivan paused and debated about it. He didn't often go to parties and he was helping Katsuya...

"We're going." stated Feliks. Toris raised one eyebrow at his boyfriend.

"Does that mean I'm wearing it? Or are you?" asked Toris. Ivan looked baffled. Wear what?

"It's, like totally, me wearing it" answered Feliks.

"But this will be the fifth time in a row. You sure?" asked Toris.

"Yeah. I enjoy it, you totally don't." replied Feliks smoothly. Part of Ivan was curious but something was telling him, he didn't want to know...

"I might go later if I have time. I'm helping Katsuya move out tonight." said Ivan knowing their conversation was over. Toris looked surprised.

"She's moving out today? I thought it was tomorrow." commented Toris. Ivan thought Eduard was keeping him in the loop. He was going to have to take that darn computer away…

"The moving van is coming tomorrow. However Katsuya wants to lessen their load, da. So we are taking anything that is not furniture to the house tonight. Books, clothes, electronics, toys, that sort of things." explained Ivan.

"Katsuya has toys?" questioned Toris. Feliks chocked on the pierogi he was eating and started coughing. Ivan concern turned into suspicion when he noticed the Polish man was blushing. Feliks finally managed to stop coughing but the blush was redder and more noticeable.

"The toys are Raivis." answered Ivan. Toris confusion immediately turned into concern.

"Does Father know?" This was more a statement then question.__Braginski code for: _Are we in danger?_ Ivan flicked his eyes briefly at Feliks then went back to Toris.__Braginski code for: _How much does he know? _Feliks looked completely baffled. (You would too if your boyfriend and his sibling suddenly got very serious)

"I haven't told him everything but he does know a lot." stated Toris.

"How much?" asked Ivan

"He knows who really made the scars on my back and why you claimed it was you. He doesn't know what also happened" was Toris response. Ivan had suppresses a shiver. That was an extremely painful memory. Ivan looked at Feliks with a bit more respect. Toris must really love and trust him. Though Toris running to live with him as soon as Ivan said yes would also prove it. Feliks was starting to understand what was going on.

"Father does not know. Raivis is now fourteen, da. He will be going to high school next year. I want to get him out of Father's control so I am sending him to live with Katsuya. That way he'll be safe, da" explained Ivan

Just then the bell rang for third period. The three packed up and started heading for third period. This time though Toris and Feliks walked with him. Ivan smiled, grateful for the company.

~ / + \ ~

New rule: Yao was never going to join more than three clubs. They caused him way too much stress. All of lunch, he had been moving between different clubs, organizing events, posters and people. Heck, even clubs that he didn't belong to had asked for help! Yao growled in annoyance and his stomach rumbled in reminder that he hadn't had lunch. He was in period three English and his teacher had a issues with eating in class. Not to mention four club 'leaders' were in the room ready to jump to him for help. Aiya! Does anyone do their own work?

"Alright, please work on your projects, students" called the teacher. Immediately the sounds of conversation started and the four leaders rushed to where Yao was sitting. Crap, here comes the swarm...

"Yao, have you finished those posters? You are the best artist and we need to advertise!"

"Yao, the party is tonight, can you make some snakes?"

"The contest is in three weeks! Have you made the routine?"

"Can you come after school to the meeting, Yao? We have paperwork and they don't listen to me." The talking went on and Yao rubbed his temples feeling his stress rising. Think calming thoughts, Yao. Don't think about how much relief it would be to kill these guys…

"Conrad, I told you I am working on them, aru. If you want them sooner, you should have asked sooner, aru!" scolded Yao. Conrad had asked him to make twenty hand-drawn posters by Friday. He had asked for them yesterday, today was Thursday.

"But Feliciano, Lovino, Kiku and Wong Kha haven't finished either!" whined Conrad. Yao ignored him.

"Jason, I told you I can't make them in time, aru. I have work so I am not going to the beach party, aru!" explained Yao not letting his annoyance colour his tone. Much.

"But you are the best cook I know!" whimpered Jason making a cute pouty face. Yao managed to turn his eyes before he called Jason kawaii. That would be embarrassing for both of them.

"Jackie, the routine is done, aru. I also made a video to show people, aru. I emailed it to you this morning, aru" explained Yao. Jackie nodded and went back to his seat. Yao mentally thanked God that Jackie was his vice president of the martial arts team. Thankfully Jackie believed in equal work.

"Luke, I have work so I can't go to the meeting, aru. Try being more assertive, aru. You just need to be firm, aru" advised Yao gently. All three immediately started their rounds of complaints again. Ugh, some one save him!

"BOYS! That does not sound like project work! Back to your seats, NOW!" yelled their teacher. All three boys scurried back to their seats. Yao took a deep breathed and sighed. Then his stomach growled again. That it, he was dealing with his hunger. Yao raised his hand and asked for permission to go to the bathroom and the teacher gave it. Yao immediately left the room and headed to his locker. He reached his locker and pulled out his lunch from its thermo-bag. Kiku had made lunch so Yao had three rice balls that were decorated to look like a Panda, a Hello kitty, and a Dragon. Ahh, Kiku knew him so well.

Yao had finished the panda one and was eating the dragon (Hello Kitty was last) when he heard a loud clang. He turned his head toward the sound as he took another bite. He faintly could hear a conversation. Yao put the last bite in his mouth wondering what was going on. Then he heard another loud clanging sound. That did not sound good. He took a bite out of the Hello Kitty and stated walking toward the sound. He had finished the Hello Kitty when he found the source of the noise.

There was a large group of boys (that he recognised as the popular boys) standing by a locker. They were kicking and hitting it, then making dirty jokes. Yao first thought: _Really? You find damaging property a good way to pass the time?_ He was about to go find a teacher to report them when he heard a faint "Please let me out now." Who said that? The group of boys laughed and mocked the voice. One said "Why? You belong in there!" causing another chorus of laughter. He kicked the locker hard and Yao heard a whimper of pain. They put a person in there? Yao anger rose and he called out "Stop that, aru!"

The boys looked startled to see him. The leader looked amused while the other immediately looked scared.

"Oh, we got us a tough guy" mocked the leader. Yao walked towards them, hoping he wouldn't have to beat them up. Violence was not Yao favourite way with dealing with things. The others went pale as Yao got closer and one had already fled. The second in command immediately said "Daniel, you don't want to mess with him."

Daniel turned his head and asked "Why? It's five against one. I think we can handle him." Yao was halfway to the group and another guy had fled. The count was now three boys. To encourage running away, Yao purposely cracked his knuckles loudly. It stung but the sound scared all three boys. Even Daniel was losing confidence.

"Daniel, he the leader of his own gang. Not to mention he won fights with that Denmark guy" reminded second in command. Well the part about wining fights was true. Leader of his own gang? The only group he had was his siblings. Did people think they were a gang? That's like saying the two Italians were the mafia. Yao was three quarters of the way there and dude number three had run. Daniel was really looking nervous.

"He's best friends with Ivan!" yelped second in command. Seriously? Yao scowled, feeling the need to defend his friend. The scowl and the tightening of his fist was enough to scare the second in command to run as fast as he could. Daniel remained but he looked terrified. Yao stopped an inch from him. Yao smiled evilly and said "Boo!"

Daniel shrieked and ran away. Yao chuckled and turned to the damaged locker. Aiya! The lock was on it! Now Yao really wished he had punched one of them. He knocked gently on the door causing the person inside it to yelp in fear. Then the voice called "Umm... Are they gone?"

"They're gone, aru. Do you know the code for the lock, aru?" asked Yao. He really hope the person inside knew it. Or else this was going to be an interesting trip to the principal's office.

"43, 17, 30" was the meek answer. The voice sounded familiar. Yao tried to remember who it was as he twisted the lock open. The accent sounded Finnish. He opened the door and immediately recognised the person inside. Yao suddenly felt the urge to chase the boys down and introduce them to his favourite iron wok. Inside was none other than Tino Väinämöinen, the younger and 'female' half of the school's only gay couple.

One of Tino's violet eyes was starting to turn into a very dark black eye. His lips were bleeding and bruises were forming on his face, neck and arms. Yao guess there were more forming under his clothing. His clothes were torn in places and there were scratches were the tears were. Yao helped him out and Tino nearly fell over. Tino had to grab onto Yao shoulder for balance.

"Thank you for getting rid of them." said Tino with a pleasant smile.

"What exactly happened to you, aru?" asked Yao. Tino looked embarrassed.

"I was heading to my locker when they jumped me. I struggled and they shoved me in the locker to make sure no one would hear me. They were pounding on it when you showed up." Tino explained. He tried to let go of Yao and stand on his own. Key word: Tried. He started to fall over with his first step. Yao had to grab him to prevent him from falling over.

"I think you need to go to the school nurse, aru. I think you have a concussion, aru." stated Yao firmly. He half carried, half pulled Tino who tried to argue weakly that he was alright. Tino gave up after a while and went along with Yao. Thankfully they were on the same floor as the nurse so they didn't have far to go. Yao knocked politely and waited.

He heard a faint call of "come in!" Yao opened the door and dragged Tino in. The room looked like a typical doctor offices. Medical table, small desk to the side, skeleton in the corner, nurse at table going through a medicinal file. The school nurse had apparently dealt with this before. She took one look at Tino with Yao and declared "Oh dear not again! Sweets, be a dear and help him onto that bench." Yao assumed he was 'sweets' and helped Tino get on the nurse table. She put down the file and went to work on Tino.

"It was those boys again, wasn't it? They should have been suspended last time! I don't know why you defend them." she muttered as she gently touched the wounds and his head. Tino smiled, wincing whenever she touched a bruise or a bump on his head. Yao stood off to the side, wondering if he should head back to class. His teacher was probably starting to wonder what was taking him so long. Last thing he needed was teacher start thinking he was a student who skips.

"I just fell down the stairs, Nurse Joy. It wasn't the boys, I swear." Tino explained. Both the nurse and Yao looked at him. The nurse expression was the _I-don't-believe-you _look. Yao was the _no-one-would-buy-that-one _expression. Nurse joy immediately turned to Yao and asked "Is this true?"

Yao was going to answer truthfully when he caught sight of Tino's expression. He was looking at him with a pleading look and even with the bruises and black eye, it was really cute. Yao found his lips moving without listening to his brain and he answered "Yes, aru. I found him by the staircase, aru"

Aiya! Why was he cursed to be so weak to cute things! Tino relieved expression was also adorable so Yao couldn't even glare at him. Nurse Joy expression was surprised then confusion. Finally she sighed and shook her head.

"Either way, Tino, you need to go home. You have a mild concussion so you should go home and rest. Try to avoid sleeping too much and tell someone if you get an sudden spots of nausea or dizziness, okay?" she explained. Tino nodded and got off the table. His balance was still bad so he nearly fell over again. Yao had to wrap an arm around his shoulder to keep him balanced. Nurse joy bit her lip before adding "Sweets? Do you mind helping Tino get home? I don't think it would be wise for him to go home alone. I'll let your teachers know of course."

Yao opened to his mouth to respond when she immediately left the room calling "I'll be right back!"

Yao blinked then yelped "Aiya! I didn't agree to it, yet aru!" Tino laughed loudly. Yao gave him a dirty look, so not amused.

"There is no point in arguing with her. She is super stubborn." explained Tino. The bell rang loudly telling everyone that is was time for the fourth period. Yao sighed, looks like he was missing fourth period gym. Then he glanced at Tino and mentally thought _"At least he isn't in danger anymore"_ If there was one thing Yao refused to do, it was to put or leave anyone in danger.

~ / + \ ~

Matthew usually liked being at the library. He could read a book, listen to music and tune out some of the jerks around him. However when it is fourth period history and you can't pleasure read, it was rather dull. Matthew wished his friend, Tino, was with him. The Finnish man was very good at making history fun. Matthew had actually finished the project they were working on (another 'good' thing about his insomnia) so he was mostly people watching and writing music notes. He had a melody stuck in his head but no words.

"So did you hear?" asked girl number one (Uno) at the table on Matthew right. Matthew kept writing the melody but decided to listen to the gossip.

"Hear what?" asked girl number two (Ni)

"Clare kissed Alfred in front of the school!" squeaked Uno.

"No way! Do you think they are dating?"demanded Ni. Matthew snorted, like that was going to happen. Matthew could remember many meals of Alfred ranting about how he hated that girl... Okay 'girl' wasn't the word Alfred used but Matthew was more polite then he was.

"I hope not. But I guess if Alfred taken, I could always try for Francis." said the girl number three (Trois) with a toss of her head.

"Really? That playboy?" questioned Uno.

"I hear he sleeps with a lot of different girls." commented Ni. Matthew shot them a glare but his glare had the same strength as a fly. Francis was a flirt but he was still Matthew's cousin! He didn't like hearing rude things about him.

"Yeah but he is gorgeous. I would happily give him some" replied Trois. Matthew mentally gagged at her tone. The group of girls laughed. Maple Leaf! And people thought men were perverts! Matthew tuned them out and finished his melody. He started humming it, trying to think out the right words. The melody was gentle and warm similar to a nursery rhythm. It reminded Matthew of another song he wrote once. Matthew reached into his bag and pulled out his small booklet of CDs. Matthew had a mike and computer at home so he would record his singing. Why he kept them on him? Last thing he needed was one of Alfred pals finding it and playing it on the P.A system. A couple of them had private feelings in them. Thing he only would talk to Tino about.

Matthew knew about Tino problems. Matthew really didn't want Alfred to hate him. Heck, Matthew had to cover how upset and angry he was at lunch time. That Daniel guy had made a very rude joke about Tino and Matthew wanted to hit him! What was Matthew problem? Matthew, who was brother with Alfred (The most wanted boy in the school) and cousins with Francis, (the school major heart throb), was actually…

Suddenly the door blasted open and a male student practically bolted in the room. Everyone looked up and stared. Then he yelled something that sounded like an insult mixed with an explanation in German. Then everyone looked back down, not wanting to be part of the issue. Matthew immediately recognised Gilbert. Gill's (Ack! No, he means Gilbert!) hair was messy and his red eyes seemed desperate. He seemed to spot Matthew and looked relieved. He ran to Matthew table and panted "I need to hide."

Matthew response: "Eh?" Gilbert didn't bother to explain and dived under Matthew's table and hiding himself under the table cloth. Matthew brain failed to come up with a logical explanation. Actually it pretty much got fried when he felt Gilbert body press itself tightly to his legs. Ack! MAPLE! His face was going red in embarrassment.

"Gilbert, what are you doing?" he managed to get out. Gilbert head reappeared on Matthew lap causing the blonde brain to fry, again.

"If anyone asks, you haven't seen me." Stated Gilbert. Gilbert eyes were very serious and Matthew found it hard to look away.

"What do you mean?" questioned Matthew trying to get his heart to stop pounding.

"You didn't see my awesomeness all day. Whoever asks should go talk to Roderick or Vash and solve their own issues." Stressed Gilbert. Matthew was tempted to drag him out when both heard someone yell "GILBERT!"

Gilbert head vanished but Matthew could still feel his body heat and weight on his legs. A very angry Elizabeth clutching a frying pan stormed into the room. Oh sweet maple syrup, what did Gilbert do? Her eyes scanned the room and locked onto Matthew. Why was it that his invisibility only left him when he was actually trying to hide? She marched straight to Matthew and demanded ``Where. Is. Gilbert?``

Matthew took a deep breath to calm himself then replied "I haven`t seen him today. Is everything alright? You sound upset."

Elizabeth growled "I saw him run in here. You can't hide him" Maple, okay new strategy...

"I must have missed him. Did he do something, again?" asked Matthew. Gilbert and Elizabeth were known for getting on each other nerves. Elizabeth hesitated and then looked almost embarrassed. Oh, dear.

"It's more... he hasn't done anything." she explained. Matthew gave her a baffled look. She sighed and loosened her grip on her frying pan. That's a good sign. Maybe?

"Roderick been avoiding me and spending a lot of time with Gilbert and Ludwig. I'm worried. I think I did something to upset him. He missed our dates, he won't answer texts and he even refused to play for me." explained Elizabeth. Her expression looked so sad. Matthew naturally reached over and patted her hand. He mentally wondered why Roderick was avoiding her. They had been boy-friend/girl-friend for a while now.

"Then I spotted Roderick giving something to Gilbert. When I tried to ask him about it, he was very rude." Gone was the sad expression and the _'I'm-going-to-kill-Gilbert'_ look was coming back. "But I know he is hiding it. If he doesn't telling me, He going to be meeting my frying pan." She hissed the angry look and killing aura returning. Maple hockey!

"I think he went that way." Matthew pointed in the opposite direction. Elizabeth gave him a suspicious look. Finally she nodded and marched in the opposite direction. It was only when she was gone did Matthew sigh in relief. He felt Gilbert weight shift and his head reappeared.

"Is she gone?" asked Gilbert. Matthew nodded and Gilbert crawled out.

"Yes! Mission successful! But that is to be expected of the awesome me!" he cheered. Matthew raised an eyebrow at him.

"What mission?" asked Matthew. Gilbert expression turned smug and he flopped into the seat beside Matthew. He pulled out a little velvet box out and handed it to Matthew. He smiled looking pleased with himself and asked "Can you keep a secret?"

Matthew was baffled and he opened the box. Inside on the soft, blue material was a diamond ring. Matthew jaw dropped and his eyes bulged. His stomach felt heavy and painful.

"You are going to ask Elizabeth to MARRY you?" he yelped. A sharp pain went across Matthew chest. Ignore it, Mattie, ignore it, Mattie. Ignore it, Mattie… This thought was interrupted by Gilbert laughing. Gilbert was holding his sides in attempt to hold back his laughter. Matthew looked at him, not amused in the slightest.

"_Mein Gott_! Hell no!" Gilbert yelped between chuckles. Now Matthew was confused.

"Then, why do you have a ring?" questioned Matthew.

"Roderick planning on proposing to her! You know that big arts and talents show that happening Monday? Roderick wants to be all romantic and shit. Just cause they're graduating and all" explained Gilbert his tone and gestures clarifying his opinion of the situation.

"That doesn't explain why you have the ring." pointed out Matthew

"Roderick asked me to hold it and hide it for him. He paranoid about her finding out so he figured I would be the last person she would talk to." reasoned Gilbert who took back the box and put it back in his pocket.

"That didn't work too well." commented Matthew. Gilbert laughed and smirked.

"No plans perfect, Birdie." he said. Matthew couldn't help but admire his confidence. Just then the bell rang. Matthew packed up his books and Gilbert slowly got up. They left the room together and Matthew kept half-glancing at him, surprised he would walk with him.

"Hey Birdie, do you want to walk home together?" asked Gilbert. Matthew heart skipped a beat and he felt a small jolt of joy.

"Sure!" he answered with a happy smile. Then he remembered Lili. "Umm, do you have a minute? I promised to met someone by the big tree out front." explained Matthew. He expected Gilbert to say he would just leave.

"Yeah, I can wait. I have to go find my bag, anyway. I had spare when Elizabeth found me. I'll meet you out front." said Gilbert. Matthew waved good bye feeling very happy. It was as he was going to the front that someone grabbed his arm tightly. With a squeak of surprise, he was shoved against the school wall by the dumpster. Matthew looked up to see five sets of cruel eyes looking at him. He looked up at the leader's dark hazel eyes. He should have guessed when Tino didn't show up...

"Hey wannabe, got a minute?" asked Daniel. Maple...

~ / + \ ~

Morozko watched the fight in pure amusement. The five boys were attacking his soon-to-be-prey. Humans were so interesting. Some could be kind, some could be cruel. Take these boys. They felt so insecure about themselves so they took it out on others. They defended their action through immature reasons and once a target was lost they moved to someone else. From what he had heard all day long. They target this one because they hated his brother but only this one was weak enough for them to hurt.

His prey didn't fight, just curled up to defend his bag. What could be so important that the boy would rather be injured then get the bag destroyed? When the bullies tried to take it away, the boy suddenly got more defensive. He even slugged the boy who tried. The bullies were startled but just started hitting harder. Finally when the group was tired of hitting him, they open the dumpster. Then the boy picked the weakly struggling victim and tossed him in. They threw some more dirty jokes at him as they slammed the lid down before walking away laughing.

Morozko waited, wondering if the victim planned to hide there for a while. Then he realized the lid was very heavy. The boy couldn't open it. Pity, he was going to need bring someone to help his target. Morozko was about to change shape when the lid moved. The creature watched in surprise as the lid went up and the boy pulled himself out. Oh? This boy wasn't weak. So why didn't he try and fight back? A beautiful caught his ears and Morozko realized it was the boy humming.

The creature eyes lit up. A singer? Oh, he could use that. The boy looked sadly where the silver haired one had left. Beautiful humming became song and the boy sang in a soft voice

Even if the best forget  
And the worst remember  
Don't forget me my love  
I'm yours

Morozko suddenly realized the boy little secret. The urge to laugh rose in him. Humans! They never stopped finding ways to amuse him! The spider changed shape and stood beside the boy. The boy was still singing so Morozko gently reached through the bag and pulled out what he desired. A small case filled with CDs. To anyone who could see them would see a boy standing and singing. Beside him was what appeared to be a floating case. Then the shadow beside the boy vanished and so did the case. The boy was unaware and continued to sing

It was your smile that capture me  
That very first day  
And ever since then  
I have been standing right here

**XXXXX**

** Yes! Finally! It is done! Man, this chapter took me forever! It a bad sign when you can double your word count with just one chapter. Just a heads up, something important for the story happened to each character. Oh boy, I feel the urge to explain some things so I'm just going to break it down so I don't get mixed up.**

**About Morozko****: I have a bet with myself that no one going to realize who he is until the end of the story. He is not an OC, he is someone from Hetalia. So if you can figure out who he is. Review and tell me who you think it is!**

**About Alfred****: Do I think he is that innocent? Yes I do. That scene with him and Daniel is actually based off two of my friends conversations. One is America, the other is a womanizer.**

**About Francis****: I hope I am doing Spain okay. I actually don't know anyone with his personality so I worry I'm doing him wrong. **

**About Ivan****: Something has happened in Ivan family, which has made them distrustful of telling anyone about what happens at home, or what their father is like. Ivan's goal is try to get everyone out of his father reach. Toris is out and living with Feliks. Katsuya and Raivis are in the process of getting out. He is still trying to figure out how to get Eduard and Natalia out.**

**About Tino****: I have no idea if this is what homophobic bullying is like. At my school, if we see a gay couple, the yaoi fangirls squeal and get excited. Everyone else shrugs and moves on. So this is based off of rumors I have heard.**

**About Matthew****: Don't bother trying to Google the song Matthew was singing. It is a song I wrote and sing. If I find the money and Tec, I will post me singing it. Will not sound as good as Matthew but it will do.**

**Remember to read and review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Random Fact Time! **

** Did you know that in ancient China, instead of worshipping Gods, they worship their own families? They would set up small shrines in their home with the tombstones of family members that passed away. They would leave offering of incense, food and (if the family was fond of it) money. They would do family-based activates like eating dinner or cleaning in front of the shrine so their previous family could see them. This was to keep them happy. Like you would with gods, the people of the past would pray to their family for luck and guidance. They don't do this anymore. Nowadays, most people of China are Buddhists. **

**XXXXXX**

This had to be one of Yao more interesting days. Yao and Tino had gotten the all clear to leave the school. Yao's teacher looked vaguely surprised about who Yao was helping but made no comment. Tino teacher didn't even look surprised and just wished Tino a quick recovery. So now, an hour early before school ended, Yao and Tino were walking home. Tino balance was starting to improve so he was just lightly keeping his hand on Yao shoulder. Tino smiled as he looked around reminding Yao of a child. Yao frowned and finally asked the question that had been bothering him for a while now.

"Hey Tino, aru?" started Yao. Tino attention immediately went to him.

"Yes?" Tino head tilted as he looked at Yao. Yao mentally suppress the urge to call him kawaii.

"Why didn't you tell the nurse that the boys beat you up, aru?" questioned Yao. Tino flinched and his smile wavered. For a brief moment, sadness flashed in his eyes. Tino sighed.

"It is a long story." was his quiet answer. Yao somehow knew that it was personal and private.

"You don't have to tell me, aru. I just find it always helps me to talk to someone, aru" offered Yao. Tino looked at him and Yao met his eyes. Tino bit his lip then winced because it was still hurt.

Finally he said "My home life is a bit complicated right now. If I tell the teacher, Susan will find out." Yao blinked at the female name.

"Who is Susan?" Asked Yao. Tino blushed in embarrassment.

"Sorry, that my pet name for Berwald, my boyfriend." explained Tino looking nervously at Yao. Yao realized he must not call Berwald his boyfriend that often.

"Why don't you want Berwald to know? He would help you out." questioned Yao. He remembered Berwald quite well. When he was still in high school, Berwald scared almost everyone with his height and blank expression. (Yao and Ivan were among the few that weren't terrified. Yao didn't see a reason to fear him and Ivan never seemed to be afraid of anybody) When Berwald was in Grade 12, Tino entered the ninth grade. Everyone had been startled by the two's quick friendship. The two were always seen together and stories went around of them going on dates. One student swore they even had seen the two kiss.

Finally one brave student approached the pair and asked the question that was on everyone mind: Were they dating? Much to the school surprise, Berwald immediate response was "Y's."

Naturally that's when the bullying tried to start. Keyword: tried. No one would dare mess with Berwald and while Berwald was in the school, Tino was left alone. Let's just say the one time someone tried to bully Tino; they were found hanging by their shirts on the big tree out front. They weren't hurt, just terrified. They never said who did it but the students knew it was Berwald. Yao figured they must have started bulling Tino after Berwald graduated. Yao figured if they were reminded who Tino was dating, they would back off.

"I don't want to burden him. He has an apprenticeship to finish and he still adjusting to having Peter around..." explained Tino who trailed off when they reached the first set of lights. If they went straight, they would go to the dorm building where 95% of the students lived. If they crossed, they would be heading to the area Ivan and Yao lived.

"So do you live in a dorm, aru?" asked Yao. Tino shook his head which surprised Yao.

"No, I live in that area" stated Tino pointing in the direction of Yao home.

"You don't live in the dorms, aru?" questioned Yao. Tino gave a weak chuckle which caught Yao attention. He felt a slightest bit of suspicion at that point. Almost everyone in school knew that area was gang territory. Anyone who lived there was either a gang member, a willing inhabitant of gang territory, or really scary. (That was part of the reason that Yao was thought to be the leader of his own gang. All of his siblings were tough fighters and had to often keep enemy gangs away from their home.) Tino wasn't that scary... Was he a gang member? Was that why he made that weak chuckle?

"I'm living with Berwald and his family right now." he explained. Oh, willing inhabitant. Then Yao mentally smacked himself. He was thinking like a paranoid old man! If his siblings knew, they would never stop teasing him! Anyways, dorms were usually paid for by parents. Only reason Yao and his family lived in a nearby home was because it was cheaper for their father. If Tino was living with his boyfriend... Yao mentally put two and two together then really did not like the answer.

"Out of curiosity, where do you live Yao?" asked Tino as they crossed the street. His balance had returned so he no longer was keeping his hands on Yao's shoulder. However his steps were a little wobbly so Yao was watching him closely.

"I live in that area as well, aru." Yao answered. Tino gave him a startled look. Then he beamed as if that made him happy.

"Really? I'm surprised I haven't seen you around! I'm always exploring with Susan and Emil. Maybe we can hang out some time!" Then Tino looked nervous and rubbed the back of his head. "I mean, if you want to. I understand if you don't want to or you are busy..."

Yao smiled. Tino was so cute! "Well I am busy most of the time, but I would like to hang out some time. Thank you for the offer" Yao replied. Tino looked quite happy. Now Yao felt silly for being suspicious. Tino was way too friendly and sweet to be a gang member. Maybe Berwald lived near Ivan.

Ivan, for some reason, fit under the "really scary" section. So most gangs gave his home a wide berth. Not that Yao ever told Ivan that. He was pretty sure it would hurt his friend's feelings. Yao suddenly remembered Ivan expression that morning when the club members had fled at the sight of him.

By now, they were getting rather close to Yao home. If they turned left at this street, they would be heading toward Ivan home. If they turned right, they would be heading to Yao home.

"So, we go left, aru?" asked Yao to confirm his thoughts. To his surprise, Tino shook his head.

"Nope, we go right." Stated Tino and he even pointed in the direction. Confusion and suspicion again rose up in Yao. Was Tino just a really good actor? Stop it Yao, you are thinking like an old man! Berwald did scare most people; maybe gangs gave him a wide berth. Either way both continued on their trip home. Tino chatted with Yao quite happily and Yao joined in. It was rare for Yao to be able to walk home with someone. Usually Yao had clubs or had to run to work after school.

That's when it happened. As they got closer to Yao home, both could faintly hear voices yelling at each other. Two voices Yao recognized within moments of hearing them: Yong Soo and Mei. The third voice was quieter and male with traces of an accent Yao didn't recognize. Tino had to know whom it belong to, since his expression became worried upon hearing it. Yao quickly started running towards the fight and Tino was right behind him.

"Get off our property! If you don't, I will force you off!"

"What the hell is your problem?!"

"_Nuna_, he is my friend! I asked him to come over. Don't be so rude!"

"_Bái mù! _He is not welcomed here!"

"I could tell that, _Trukkalessa_!"

There was a moment of silence before:

"What the hell did you just call me?"

"Stop yelling at my friend!"

"If I wanted to get yelled at, I would have gone home! Since I'm not wanted here, I'll just leave!"

"Good!"

"No! I wanted to spend time with you! _Nuna_, why do you have to be so mean to my friend?!"

"Don't hug him!"

"Let me go, I don't like hugs!"

Finally Yao could see the group and his home. Yong Soo was hugging another boy and glaring at his sister. Mei looked completely pissed off and had her hands on her hips. The third boy was struggling to escape Yong Soo hug. He had whitish blond hair and blue eyes. The mystery boy also had a small puffin bird with him that was sitting on his right shoulder. Yao immediately snapped "What the hell is going on, aru?!"

The effect was immediate. Yong Soo and Mei immediately yelped "Yao?!" and looked at him startled.

The mystery boy turned his head and yelped "Tino?!"

Tino looked surprised to see him and immediately asked "Emil? What are you doing here?"

Yao looked at Tino in surprise and asked "You know him, aru?"

Tino nodded and answered "He is the brother of Berwald's brother's boyfriend." Yao blinked and tried to work out what that meant.

"He is not my brother and he is not dating that idiot!" yelped Emil.

Tino smoothly stated "You didn't answer my question."

Emil had given up struggling and responded with "What am I doing here? What are you doing here? Your school doesn't end until three, it sometime after two!" Then Emil noticed how battered Tino was. "What the hell happened to you?!"

"I fell down the stairs, again." replied Tino. Emil gave him a look of _I-don't-believe-that. _Yong Soo and Mei were looking both confused and alarmed. Emil looked at Yao with suspicion. Yao rubbed his temples.

"Tino is a class mate of mine, aru. Since he was injured, I was told to bring him home, aru" He offered as an explanation. Yong Soo immediately looked relieved; Mei still looked like she was annoyed.

"Mei, why are you being rude to a guest of ours, aru?" asked Yao.

"He is not a guest!" shrieked Mei looking outraged. Yao immediately frowned. If Mei was going to act like that in front of other people, she really needs to learn how to behave. Mei may be Father favourite, but even he did not stand bad behaviour.

"He is on our land and Yong Soo is hugging him, aru. That makes him a guest, aru." explained Yao his tone clearly saying not to argue with him.

"He is a member of the Nordic gang!"

It was only due to years of practice the art of hiding emotion that Yao didn't look at Emil and Tino in complete shock. Oh, crap that meant he was right earlier when he had suspected Tino of being a gang member...

The Nordic Gang was the second most powerful gang in the area. The leader was a blonde named Magnus and the second in command was a white haired boy named Lukas. They were tough fighters and controlled almost 45% of the area. They also were the biggest threat to Yao and his family. Magnus, for some reason wanted to claim more territory and Yao and his family refused to let him claim their home as part of his territory. Instead of just going around their home to get to the unclaimed area, Magnus was quite determined to get their home. The family was also determined to make sure he didn't. So the two groups were always fighting.

Yao had only met Magnus and Lukas, the only reason he knew they had more members because Wong Kha and Mei had fought with other members before. Wong Kha had fought with a guy that was "extremely tall and kind of scary looking." (Who does that sound like?) Mei had fought with Lukas brother. (She had guessed based off of how similar they looked)

Now Yao wanted to smack himself. Emil looked extremely similar to Lukas. They had to be brothers. Urgh... Yao had two choices. He could be rude to both Tino and Emil and kick them off because they were enemies. But considering he kind of enjoyed Tino company and Yong Soo must like Emil considering he was hugging him. (He only hugged family members) Kicking them off would hurt everyone but Mei feelings. Yao other choice: he could dismiss what Mei had said and improvise from there. That would piss off Mei. Well Yao knew what one he was going for...

"Doesn't matter, Mei, he is not hurting anyone and therefore doesn't deserve to be treated harshly, aru. Now apologise, aru." lectured Yao firmly. Everyone looked at him surprised; Mei looked like she wanted to murder Yao.

"I am not going to-" Mei began and Yao silenced her with a glare. If looks could kill, Mei would be pushing daises.

Finally Mei looked away and muttered "_Dui bu qui_"

Yao gave her a hard look and stated "Louder and in English, aru" Mei gave him another glare.

Finally she swallowed her pride and said "I'm sorry for my rude behaviour."

Then without bothering to see if she had been forgiven, she ran into the house and slammed the door shut behind her. Yao sighed. Yong Soo immediately chirped "You know that rude behaviour was one of the few things that was not invented in Korea?"

Yao snickered and Emil groaned. Tino looked at Emil and asked "What did she mean by Nordic Gang?"

Emil immediately stiffened and Yong Soo let go of him to let Emil handle this one. "Ummm... It was Magnus idea?" he offered. Tino looked un-amused by that answer.

"I figured that part. Mr. Magnus always comes up with the ideas that lead to problems." said Tino. Tino tone was that of someone who was stating a fact. Making Yao suspect Magnus had done stuff like this before.

"This was something Mr. Magnus and Mr. Lukas told you not to tell me about." guessed Tino though it came out more as a statement. Emil looked away like a child who had been caught doing something wrong and muttered "Yeah."

Tino sighed and turned to Yao. "I'm really sorry about this. Has Magnus caused you any problem?" Yao felt horrible, Tino looked upset. He opened his mouth to reassure him that Magnus hadn't been too horrible (which would be a lie).

Then Yong Soo immediately stated "He's been trying to claim our land as his territory."

Tino and Emil winced. Yao gave Yong Soo a look that yelled _YOU-AREN'T-HELPING! _

"I'll talk to him. He sometimes listens to me." Tino offered.

Emil went to stand beside Tino and said "I can walk Tino the rest of the way home." Yong Soo looked disappointed but understanding. Okay now, Yao felt incredible guilty. Yong Soo may be over energetic and a pain some times, but he rarely asked for anything.

"You could walk with us" offered Tino giving a Yao a half-glance.

"If that is okay, with you?" asked Emil who was still looking a bit embarrassed. Yong Soo gave Yao a hopeful look.

"Go right ahead, I'm going to have to deal with Mei anyway." Said Yao. Yong Soo gave him a big smile and jumped to follow after Emil. Yao smiled and waved as the three headed off. Just before Tino was gone, Yao called "Hey Tino?"

Tino turned around and looked back at him with worried eyes. Yao gave him a honest smile and offered "I'll see you at school?"

Tino eyes lit up in relief and he called "Of course!" in delight. Yao waved good bye before turning to his house. Aiya… now he had to deal with Mei. Best way to approach it was like you would a bandage. Quick and painless. Yao opened the door and entered the home. He barely managed to close the door before the first missile was whipped at him. Yao managed to dodge the paper weight. Oh she was going to act like this?

"MEI!" he yelled, as Mei whipped a book at him. Yao caught it and gave her a fierce glare. Mei response was to yell "_Nāozhǒng_!" then bolt to upstairs. Yao chased after her snapping "Mei, get your butt down here, aru!"

Mei ducked into her room but that didn't work on Yao. He walked straight into her room, tossed her over his shoulder and carried down back downstairs, ignoring the insults and punches to his kidney she was tossing at him. Yao marched straight to the tiny living room and dropped his sister onto the couch. Before she could say anything, Yao immediately demanded "What the hell were you thinking, aru?"

Mei glared at him from the couch and spat "What the hell am I thinking? What the fuck are you thinking? You let my little brother go with two enemy gang members!"

"First, Yong Soo is everyone's little brother, are! He is the youngest, aru. Second, Tino is not a gang member, aru. He is … friends with Magnus, aru." Yao had to pause there because he didn't know how else to explain it. "Thirdly, I did not show the behaviour you did aru. I expect better from you and so would Father, aru!" snapped Yao.

Mei flinched at the mentioning of Father, but she hissed back "You aren't Father! Don't act like you know what he thinks. Do you really think Father would let Yong Soo be friends with that weirdo? Even if he wasn't a gang member?"

"Yong Soo has not tried to make a friend in four years, aru. Are you honestly going to reject the first friend he shows us, aru?" questioned Yao

"Whose fault is that?" Mei replied in an ice cold tone. Yao felt a painful stab at his heart when he realized what Mei was implying. For a moment, his anger flared out and he felt that pain and guilt he suppressed. Then his anger came back twice as strong.

"What did you just say, aru?" Yao growled anger burning in his voice.

"You heard me." Replied Mei her voice as cold as ice.

"You have no right to talk about that, aru." Growled Yao

"I was there, so I have as much rights to speak of it as you do. Actually more than you do, all things considered." Snapped Mei. Yao bristled at her words.

"Why can't you let this go, Mei? It has been four year since she died aru! Everyone moved on except you and Father, aru" yelled Yao in frustration.

"Because she was my mother!" yelled Mei

"She was everyone's mother, aru! She didn't belong to you, aru!" snapped Yao

"She wasn't your mother! You only here because of that _gǒuzǎizi_!" snapped Mei. If possible, Yao anger rose.

"DON'T you DARE say that again. My Dad is the reason why all of us are here!" snarled Yao

"And you're the reason why she is dead!" shrieked Mei

"Would you rather be dead, Mei? You would have died that night if I didn't go back!" yelled Yao

"I'd rather die than leave my brother to cradle his dead twin!" shrieked Mei

"WOULD BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP?" screamed the voice of Yong Soo. The scream felt like a slap to both Mei and Yao. Both turned, startled, to see their brother staring at them tears forming in his eyes. Yao felt like he had been punched in the stomach, he felt that horrible. Yong Soo hated remembering that night and he despised his siblings fighting about it. Both siblings began to explain but Yong Soo silenced them with a look.

"I came back to grab my coat." He said as an explanation. Yao kept his mouth shut, knowing the words and silence afterwards was a trap. Mei opened her mouth and tried to say something. Yong Soo cut her off.

"I'm not going to stop being his friend and he isn't replacing Hyung Soo"

Mei flinched at the name. Yong Soo shoulders were shaking and two tears ran down his face. Without thinking, Yao stepped forward to comfort his little brother. Yong Soo practically ran to hug Yao and Yao held Yong Soo and said his apology. After smearing Yao shirt with his tears, Yong Soo let go and stepped away

"We know aru" was all Yao said. Yong Soo gave him a small smile and Yao knew he had been forgiven. Mei stepped forward at that point. Yong Soo started to turn to go back, and then Mei stopped him.

"Yong Soo, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you" Apologized Mei. She stepped forward and opened her arms to hug Yong Soo.

_"Honja naebeoryeo dushipshio, Nuna" _was all Yong Soo said as he stepped away from Mei hug. Mei looked at him in shock and Yong Soo slammed the door shut behind him. Mei and Yao stared at the door before glancing at each other. Mei glared at Yao before silently storming off to her room. Yao let out a heavy sigh and pressed his fingers to his forehead. Why was life so complicated?

Yao glanced at the living room and realised that their little shrine was open. He walked to the little shrine and kneels down in front of it. The shrine was white and as big as a small cupboard. There were two shelves: one decorated with candles, incense and little offerings, the other had four different picture frames. One was a photo of Yao mom the day after Yao had been born. The second was a picture of Yao's Dad in his military uniform. The third one was a picture of Mother and Father on their wedding day. The final one was of Hyung Soo and Yong Soo on their sixth birthday.

Yao gently picked up the picture of Mother and Hyung Soo. He looked at their frozen images and gently touched the glass with his fingertip. In a rare display of how he felt, a single tear ran down Yao face and he whispered "_Dui bu qui._"

~ / + \ ~

"FREEDOM!" shouted Alfred as the final bell rang. Fourth period was over, the hero was free! Most of his classmate from fourth period science chuckled at Alfred excitement and his science teacher just sighed. Alfred tossed his text books into his bag and escaped the class room. All Alfred needed to do was grab his stuff and grab Lovino and then he would be set for the event tonight. He quickly raced to his locker and thanked God that there was no football practice today.

Alfred twisted the lock on his locker. He dumped the text books and note books he didn't need and grabbed he small black bag he needed. Okay he just needed Lovino and then Alfred could go. Alfred slammed his locker shut and then locked it. He turned around just in time to walk right into some one. The guy he bump into was a lot smaller him so the force of Alfred colliding into him knocked the poor guy on to his face. Alfred winced when he heard something glass hit the floor.

"Oh, dude! Sorry about that. Didn't see you." He offered as an apology and offered his hand to help the guy up.

"It's alright. I am not hurt. Are you okay, Alfred-san?" asked Kiku who ignored Alfred hand and got up. Alfred heart skipped a beat when he realized, he had bump into none other than the only person in the school that he actually wanted to da- he meant befriend! That right, Alfred thought Kiku was cool and wanted to be friends with him. (Denial, it isn't just a river in Egypt)

"I'm the Hero, Kiku. It takes a lot more than that to hurt me. But my totally awesome hearing hear glass hit the floor. Were you carrying something?" asked Alfred in concern. Kiku blinked than realized Alfred was correct.

"I was hording my camera. Where did it go?" questioned Kiku as he started panicking. The smaller boy started searching the floor trying to find his camera.

"You must have let go when I walked into you. Don't worry, I'll help." Said Alfred who also started searching. Everyone was walking around at this point so the camera wasn't easy to spot. Thankfully Alfred quickly spotted it under the water fountain. It must have skidded here when Kiku dropped it. Alfred quickly walked over, bent down and picked up the camera.

He handed it over with a smile and said "Here you go."

"Thank you, Alfred –san." Thanked Kiku. He looked relieved to have it back.

"No problem. Least I could do since I knocked you over." Replied Alfred with an easy going grin.

"I wirr see you tomorrow then." Said Kiku. Kiku gave Alfred a polite bow before turning to leave. Suddenly Alfred was hit with how much he really didn't want Kiku to leave. Alfred wanted to talk with him some more. It was just because he wanted to be friends with the guy and he didn't see him every day. It wasn't because he had a crush on Kiku. Because he doesn't have a crush on Kiku, okay?

"Hey Kiku!" he called. Kiku turned his head and gave Alfred a very cute confused look. Or at least Alfred thought it was cute. Oh wait, now Alfred needs a good thing to talk about. Ummm...

"So why did you bring your camera to school?" asked Alfred. Brilliant idea, Alfred, go for the most obvious conversation starter. Alfred was now walking beside Kiku and both were heading out side.

"I am part of the school newspaper. We are doing an articre on the big art and tarent show. I need to take pictures of some of the material and cast for 'Before' pictures." Explained Kiku.

"Cool! Does that mean you get to go to the show for free?" asked Alfred. That would be pretty awesome if he did.

"_Hai_" said Kiku as they stepped outside. Alfred immediately cheered at being out side. The Hero can only take so much school. He loved being outside and moving around. Kiku gave him a slightly amused smile which secretly made Alfred happy

"So who else is part of the newspaper?" asked Alfred out of curiosity.

"Rudwig, Feliciano and I are the only members" admitted Kiku. Alfred gave him a look of pure awe and disbelief.

"Just the three of you!" he yelped in shock. He had seen the school newspaper, the picture quality was amazing and the articles were interesting. Everyone in the school read it and it kept everyone up to date on the latest in fashion, music, TV, movies, school events, clubs and sports. The only thing it didn't talk about was school rumors or drama. Alfred never would have thought it was the work of only three people.

"_Hai._ Just the three of us. Why are you so surprised?" asked Kiku looking confused

"How can I not be? Do you have newspaper producing power dude?" replied Alfred in a completely serious tone. Though having the power to produce newspaper would be kind of lame but hey it was still a superpower.

"No… We just work werr together. Rudwig organizes everything, Feliciano writes, I edit and do photos. The three of us have been friends for a whire now. So we know our strengths and weakness." Explained Kiku.

"That really awesome dude" complemented Alfred who was rather impressed. Getting that much done when there only three of you must be hard. Kiku blushed at that complement and muttered comments like "Anyone courd have done the same." And "I'm happy to hear that" Alfred smirked at how cute Kiku looked. Not that he say that out loud... Speaking of things he couldn't out loud call cute…

"Do you know where Lovino is?" asked Alfred not realizing how completely out of the blue that was. Kiku looked up startled then glanced around. Then Kiku spotted him and pointed

"There he is. Though I have no idea what he is doing" commented Kiku. Alfred followed the direction and spotted Lovino. Lovino and Feliciano were standing by an Italian sports car. Well Feliciano was standing; Lovino was sitting on the hood. Both of the Italian brothers were making lots of gestures and speaking fast. Feliciano was almost bouncing and Lovino was fidgeting. While most people would think they were fighting, Alfred had spent enough time with the twins to know that they were flirting. That and he could see the two pretty girls that they were looking at.

"They are flirting with those girls over there." Explained Alfred in a blunt tone and pointed to the two girls. Kiku spotted the girls and immediately shook his head.

"Rudwig not going to be happy about that. He hates it when Feliciano flirts. Not that I rearry approve of it either." Commented Kiku in a light tone. Alfred gave him a startled look.

"Wait! Ludwig likes Feliciano?" questioned Alfred. Huh, didn't think Ludwig swung that way. Though Alfred couldn't picture that guy with a girl either. Ludwig was way too strict for Alfred taste.

"He claims that they are just friends. But I doubt that, Rudwig is way too affectionate toward Feliciano. Werr in Rudwig definition of affection." Answered Kiku honestly. Alfred looked at Kiku in pure awe. Not only was Kiku totally calm about talking about his two male friends might be into each other in a homophobic school, he even supported it.

"So it is safe to assume you aren't homophobic?" asked Alfred. Kiku gave him a withering look.

"Alfred-san, I enjoy Yaoi." stated Kiku

"I don't know what Yaoi is" replied Alfred. Kiku sighed

"No, I'm not homophobic." Answered Kiku

For some reason, that made Alfred feel both relieved and happy.

"What about you?" asked Kiku. Oh crap, he should have seen that one coming.

"Ummm… I can't tell you." Alfred responded. Kiku looked honestly confused,

"Why not?" he asked. Oh how should Alfred explain it?

"It's a secret" Well that's a great excuse, Alfred. Kiku eyes seem to lit up in understanding.

"Is it complicated?" asked Kiku. Alfred thought about it. Almost every team mate he had was homophobic as well as his admirers. Considering he spends 65% of his time with these people, they are extremely nasty to anyone who didn't agree with them and they were the only friends Alfred had…

"It is a little complicated." Agreed Alfred. He was relieved to see Kiku nod in understanding.

"I understand. Everyone has things that are hard for them to talk about." Said Kiku. That one little sentence managed to make Alfred feel a lot… lighter. Alfred hadn't really talk to anyone (other than Lovino) about this topic and even sort of talking about it and not getting laughed at made him feel a lot better. Alfred couldn't help but smile at Kiku in gratitude.

He suddenly noticed that Ludwig had joined Lovino and Feliciano. The two had stopped flirting with the two girls and giving their attention to Ludwig. Feliciano was of course happy to see Ludwig and immediately jumped on him to hug him. Lovino was not happy to see Ludwig and less happy about Feliciano hugging the German. Guessing by the rapid fire gestures, Lovino was cussing Ludwig and Feliciano off. If Alfred didn't grab Lovino soon, the two would get into a huge fight and Lovino wouldn't go to the event, which means Alfred couldn't go...

"I got to go now. Lovino helping me with a project, I'll see you around" said Alfred as he started to head toward the soon to be fight.

"Umm, Alfred-san?" asked Kiku. Alfred turned his head and looked at Kiku with a curious look.

"Err, Umm, I just want to terr you. If you need someone to tark to, ummm, I mean if you aren't busy..." started Kiku as his face went redder and redder.

"You want to exchange phone numbers?" guessed Alfred with a knowing smile. Kiku response was his blush getting darker and pulling out his cell phone. Alfred pulled out his and they quickly exchanged numbers. They waved good bye and then Alfred raced to get his motorcycle. He got on quickly and undid the lock on it. Alfred opened the secret apartment under the seat and dumped his bag inside. Then he walked it to where Lovino was.

"Potato bastard, stay away from my brother!" yelled Lovino

"Ve? But me and Ludwig have plans! How can we do them if he stays away?" asked Feliciano in a curious voice. He still had his arms wrapped around Ludwig.

"You don't!" snapped Lovino.

"Yo, Lovi!" interrupted Alfred with a grin. All three turned their head to look at Alfred, startled by his suddenly interruption.

"Took you long enough, hamburger bastard." commented Lovino when he had recovered. Without bothering to ask for permission, Lovino got on to the bike behind Alfred. Alfred began to turn on the engine ready to go.

"What are you doing?" questioned Ludwig looking at Alfred and Lovino in confusion.

"Getting a lift, potato bastard. What do you think?" answered Lovino.

"Why with Alfred?" questioned Ludwig.

"None of your business." replied Lovino. Alfred figured this was the best time to go before the two started fighting.

"Hold on tight, Lovi!" called Alfred as he kicked the stand up and put the machine in drive. Lovino wrapped his arms around Alfred as the two sped away. If either had glanced back, they would have seen the confused expression of a certain green eyed Spaniard as he watched the two drive away.

~ / + \ ~

Ivan knew something was up when Yao didn't show up for gym. It was the only class the two shared and Yao never came. When the bell rang, Ivan changed back into his uniform and left the gym. Even though Ivan didn't expect Yao to show, Ivan still went to wait by their usual meeting spot: the small garden by the front of the building. Usually Yao had work during the week, so Ivan often walked with Yao to keep him company. However due to his friends very busy social calendar, he was constantly being delayed by his clubs. Ivan was hoping the reason his friend had missed Gym was due to clubs and not because his friend was sick or hurt.

Ivan managed to get to the spot in time to see Alfred speed away with Lovino. Much like anyone who saw the two, Ivan did a double take. Alfred, the popular boy, hanging out with Lovino, the Italian bad boy? Either Alfred really did not care about keeping his image or he was completely oblivious. Ivan mentally debated about it. Alfred did sit also beside his less popular brother, maybe he really didn't care? If that was the case, Ivan could respect the American. It wasn't easy fighting off the pressures of fellow peers.

"Did you see that?" asked one girl (Uno) from a group of girls near Ivan was standing. Oh great, the rumor mill has begun…

"Alfred and Lovino? Of course I saw that! What was that about? The two have nothing in common!" commented the girl (Ni) beside her.

"Maybe Alfred giving Lovino a lift?" offered Uno as an explanation. Ivan sighed; did it really matter why they two were hanging out? Why did no one mind their own business?

"Sure… Cause Alfred normally offers rides to people." Said the third girl (Trois) in a sarcastic tone.

"You know he doesn't even give his own brother rides?" stated Ni. The two other girls looked at her in shock.

"ALFRED HAS A BROTHER?!" they yelped. Ivan first thought was _poor Matthew…_

"How did you guys not know that?" asked Ni

"Who is Alfred brother?" asked Trois. Ni expression suddenly got smug.

"Matthew." Replied Ni in a very satisfied tone.

"Who?" asked Uno in a completely baffled tone.

"The blonde boy who sits beside Alfred every day at lunch" explained Ni. Both girls paused like they were seriously concentrating. Then Trois expression went into shock and she snapped her fingers.

"Oh my gosh! Seriously? That guy is Alfred brother? He like, the totally opposite of Alfred!" Trois demanded. Ni nodded and Uno still looked baffled.

"I have no idea who you guys are talking about." Stated Uno who looked a little frustrated. Ni and Trois gave her pity looks and got a glare in return from Uno.

"Moving on, so are you guys going to the party tonight?" asked Ni

"Of course!" declared Uno

"Who isn't? You know, that a rumour is going around that the Fireflies are going to show?" replied Trois. Even Ivan blinked in surprise and almost joined in Uno and Ni shout of "WHAT?"

The Fireflies was a group of talented dancers that worked in the area. They were famous for going to large areas at night, dressed in black and covered in lights. They would do dance routines and compete with each other to see who was the best. The Fireflies were extremely popular and everyone who had parties always tried to get the group to show. There was one problem though. No one knew any members of Fireflies.

It was a big mystery. Every member of the Fireflies wore masks and no one had ever found where they changed clothes. Even if you tried to talk to them, they would stay silent. They also didn't seem to work for money. Whenever they appear, there was one member that would hold a hat and if you wanted, you could give money. However the group never seemed to be interested in the money. The one with the hat usually wasn't paying attention to money givers and would sometime even drop the hat to join in. Once the hat had been stolen but the group didn't care. This meant that no one could hire them for parties.

Ivan had been lucky enough to see them a couple of times. He was really impressed by their skill and their passion to dance. Hmmm… If they truly were coming, Ivan defiantly wanted to go to that party.

"Where did you hear that?" asked Ni

"From Daniel. Apparently, he overheard that Roderick guy talking to the host. Roderick said that he was sure that the Fireflies would come." Replied Trois.

"Wait the piano dude? I doubt he would know anything about the Fireflies. He nowhere near cool enough." Commented Ni

"Well he is really into music" stated Uno. Ni and Trois gave her confused looks

"What does that have anything to do with the Fireflies?" asked Trois

"Maybe he does their music! You know, like Peter Parker does Spiderman photos?" explained Uno who looked excited. Both Ni and Trois face palmed.

"We are going to have to cut you off from the comics." Sighed Ni as both she and Trois began to walk away. Uno gave them a terrified look before chasing after them yelling "NO! Not my comics!"

Ivan sighed and shook his head. Girls, even after living sixteen years with two of them, he still never understood them. While that conversation had been a nice distraction, Ivan was forced to recognise that the crowds were vanishing and Yao was still nowhere to be seen. Ivan walked over to the big tree out front, since he knew he could get a good signal there. Ivan leaned back against the trunk and pulled out his cell phone and quickly typed: Where RU?

He hit send and waited for Yao response. Five seconds later his phoned beeped and Yao messaged appeared: Shoot, sorry Ivan. I'm at home. 

Ivan frowned and typed: Why R U home? RU sick? 

Yao response: Nope. I stopped a fight so I had to take the guy home. End of Story

Uh oh, Yao only ever put 'End of Story' when he was upset. Ivan typed: U OK?

Yao: Yeah, fine. Y?

Ivan: Bullshit. U R upset.

Yao: …how can U tell?

Ivan: U R my friend, I know when U R sad. What happened?

Yao: I had a fight with my sister again…

Ivan winced at that response. It was often that Yao and Mei got into fights. Ivan had never been in the same room when they fought but he knew after the fights, Yao would go quiet and be upset for the rest of the day. Oh course, he tried to hide it but Ivan knew him too well…

Ivan: Do U want me to come over later?

Yao: No… I'm okay. Beside you need to help your sister

Ivan: Okay, but you take care of yourself.

Yao: Of course, hey Ivan?

Ivan: Yes?

Yao: Thank you for being my friend.

Ivan faintly smiled at that text but it wasn't a happy smile. In his head, Ivan remembered how he used to be that kid. _The one all alone in the playground, confused about why no one wanted to be friends with him. Ripping the flowers because he didn't know how to pull gently, always smiling because it was all he could do to be safe. That wonderful day when Yao first transferred in gr. 4; Ivan smiled at him and instead of being scared, Yao smiled back_. Yao didn't need to thank him; Ivan should be the one thanking him.

Ivan: I will always be your friend.

Yao: I will always be your friend too, Ivan. I will see you tomorrow

Ivan: See U 2morrow

Ivan sighed and closed his cell phone with a flick of his wrist. He rested his head against the tree. He had no reason to stay here, but the walk to his home would be lonely without Yao. He wanted to delay it. That was when he heard a branch snapped and a female voice squeak above his head.

Startled, Ivan looked up and spotted a little girl in the branches above his head. The girl looked to be twelve years old and wearing casual clothes. Her hair was blonde and cut short. She was dangling from one of the tree branches that was almost at the top of the tree. The branches by her feet were broken.

"Help!" called the little girl. Ivan realized that if the girl fell from that height, she was likely to break something. Crap, what should he do...

"Hold on, I will go get help!" called Ivan trying not to panic. If he panicked, so would the girl and she would let go and drop.

"Big brother!" called the little girl. Okay, getting the girl brother would help keep her calm...

"Who is your brother?" asked Ivan. The girl twisted her head looking for Ivan. She finally looked down and her green eyes met Ivan violet. The little girl seemed to get almost frightened by the sight of Ivan. She nervously bit her bottom lip.

"Vash Zwilingi" replied the little girl in a hesitant voice. Ivan blinked when he recognised the name. Vash? The paranoid gun fanatic had a little sister? This was news to him. Another crack caught Ivan attention. He glanced up and realized the branch that was holding the girl up was breaking. Okay, scratch getting her brother, Ivan was going to have to catch her.

"Umm, little one? The branch you are holding is breaking, da." (Mentally Ivan smacked himself for saying the most obvious thing in the world) "I don't think I can get your brother in time. You need to let go of the branch." called Ivan as a warning.

"I can't!" was the little girl response. Ivan wonder if she was too frightened to let go.

"Don't worry, I promise I will catch you, da" reassured Ivan as best as he could. The cracking sound was getting louder. He was running out of time...

If possible the little girl became even more nervous and she timidly asked "How do I know you won't try to kidnap me?"

Ivan resisted the urge to face palm. Jeez, what was Vash teaching his little sister? How to be as paranoid as him?

"I promise I won't try to kidnap you" replied Ivan. All he got back from the little girl was a look of that seemed skeptical.

"Tell you what. If I do something wrong, you are free to kick me or punch me, da." Offered Ivan. That offer had always worked with his sisters when either of them had to go somewhere unpleasant. Mainly visits to doctors with needles.

Before the little girl could respond, the branch snapped and she dropped with a shriek of surprise. Ivan had enough warning so he managed to reach up and catch her in his arms bridal style. The little girl was as light as a feather so it was easy and painless. Ivan's heart was pounding because Ivan had been scared he wasn't going to catch her. He held her for only a moment before quickly returning her to her feet. While he was offering to let her smack him, Ivan felt no desire to give her good reason to.

The little girl blinked before saying "Thank you."

If it wasn't for the fact that Ivan knew who her brother was, he might have been offended by her expression. She looked completely surprised that Ivan hadn't tried something. Seriously Vash, what were you teaching her?

"Why were you even up there?" asked Ivan out of curiosity. The little girl looked almost sad when she answered

"My ribbon got caught in the breeze and it landed in the branches. I wanted to get it back but you saw what happened."

Ivan glanced up and, sure enough, could see a purple ribbon caught on a branch only a couple inches above where the girl had been. Ivan looked at the girl un happy expression and then decided what he was going to do.

"One sec, da" Stated Ivan. The little girl gave him a startled look as Ivan reached for the first branch. While the smaller branches were fragile, Ivan had learned how to climb when he was young. So finding the right branches, were very easy for Ivan. Combined with his natural height, Ivan was able to reach up and grab the ribbon within five steps. Ivan then let go and landed on his feet with a fair amount of ease. The little girl stared at him with wide eyes, clearly surprised.

"Here you go" said Ivan as he handed her the ribbon. The girl took it back from him and quickly tied into her hair. She then gave him a bright smile.

"Thank you so much! This is my favourite ribbon. I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Lili." Said Lili in the most cheerful voice Ivan had ever heard. And it wasn't even that false cheerful tone, it was completely sincere.

"That's alright. My name is Ivan. It is nice to meet you, da" Said Ivan with a smile.

"I hope I didn't offend you earlier. My big brother says you should always be careful. I was a little frightened." Apologised Lili

"You didn't offend me. I was more concerned you would end up like Ophelia." Commented Ivan. Then he realized what he had just said and almost flushed in embarrassment. Not only did he just say something silly, he just proved what a book worm he was! Lili eyes lit up and a delighted smile crossed her face.

"Don't I need to have flowers in my hair and be in a willow tree?" questioned Lili. Ivan gave her a look of surprise.

"You read Shakespeare?" he asked in disbelief and delight. He rarely met anyone who read it for enjoyment like he did.

"When I can get them." Answered Lili. Two words: instant friendship. Ivan perked up and Lili relaxed as they both began talking back and forth about their shared interest. (Out of the interest of keeping you guys entertained, I will not give you their full conversation.)

_15 minutes of conversation later_

"Do you read any other older authors?" asked Lili. Both of them were now sitting cross legged by the tree.

"Currently I am reading a lot of the older authors from my home land so Bunin and Pasternak mostly. I just started working on the British, but so far Shakespeare is my favourite. What about you?" asked Ivan

"I'm working on Sir. Conan Doyle, right now. After that I'm going to try a couple of famous poets like Robert Frost." Answered Lili

"Lili!" called a soft voice. Startled both Ivan and Lili turned to see Matthew running towards them. Ivan frowned when he notice that Matthew seemed to be limping. Lili immediately got up and went to go give Matthew a hug. Ivan got up too but stayed back since he didn't want to scare the shy teen.

"Sorry Lili. I didn't mean to make you wait." said Matthew softly as he returned Lili hug with the smallest of winces. Ivan immediately spotted the bruises that were starting forming on Matthew's face and exposed skin. They weren't very obvious but Ivan could still see them.

"It is okay, Matthew. My friend Ivan was keeping me company." replied Lili and she even flashed Ivan a friendly smile. A flare of warmth spread across Ivan chest when Lili called him a friend.

"Ivan?" asked Matthew in a confused tone. He finally looked away from Lili and spotted Ivan right behind Lili. Naturally Matthew's violet eyes widen in fear and he flinched in surprise. Ivan expected the reaction so all he did was to give Matthew a pleasant smile. If possible, this scared Matthew even more.

"O-O-oh, t-t-that Ivan." sputtered Matthew. All Ivan did was smile! What did he have to do in order to prove he wasn't scary?

"Hello, comrade." greeted Ivan in what he thought was a friendly tone.

"H-Hello" replied Matthew nervously

"Actually, Matthew, I wanted to ask. How much do I owe you?" asked Lili. Matthew faintly smiled and it lit up his face. Ivan blinked in surprise. He had never seen Matthew smile before.

"You don't owe me anything. I really enjoyed making it for you." replied Matthew. He swung the bag of his back and started rummaging through it.

"Are you sure? I felt so bad about asking..." commented Lili as Matthew continued searching. Matthew expression turned confused and his digging around became more rougher as he searched for what he was looking for. To Ivan concern, his expression rapidly became panic and Matthew dumped everything out of his bag.

"Shit!" he finally spat as he looked at his drooped books and startled both Ivan and Lili. Matthew actually swore? This had to be serious!

"Is everything okay?" asked Lili nervously. Matthew frowned and bit his lip. He pulled a white CD case out of one his text books.

"Yeah, fine. Here you go, this is your song. I recorded it for you without the lyrics so you can sing for your brother." said Matthew with a weak smile. Ivan suspected he was trying to hide why he was upset. Lili eyes lit up and she looked really happy.

"Thank you so much! You are the best, Matthew!" Lili cheered and she bounced with excitement. Both Ivan and Matthew smiled at her joy.

"Lili! What is going on here?" called a grumpy voice. All three turned to see a boy marching up to them with a scowl. Ivan would bet his sunflower seeds that was Vash.

"Hello, big brother! Did the meeting go well?" asked Lili with a happy smile. Ivan marvelled at how quickly the girl managed to hide the CD case inside her little hand bag. For a such a sweet little girl, Lili moved very quickly when she was hiding something!

"It went fine. Who are these two?" demanded Vash. Matthew immediately looked worried. Ivan mentally sighed. He had dealt with far scarier things then an over-protective siblings, what was the worst that Vash could do?

"Hello Vash" greeted Ivan

"Hello" said Matthew softly

"These are my friends, Ivan and Matthew, big brother" introduced Lili. Vash gave them both very hard looks. Matthew wilted under Vash's glare and looked very nervous. The glare bounced off Ivan and Ivan didn't even flinch. Vash blinked at Ivan and something flashed in his eyes. Ivan could have sworn it was relief but it was gone before he could be sure.

Then Vash stuck out his hand to and said "Nice to meet you both."

Even Lili gave her brother a look of complete shock. Ivan recovered the fastest and grasped Vash hand. Vash grip was strong and his hands were rough

"Nice to meet you too." said Ivan

Matthew was next and he smiled as he said "It's nice to meet you too."

Vash let go of Matthew hand and wrapped it around his little sister shoulders. It was a small gesture and it reminded Ivan of his own siblings.

"Sorry but Lili has piano lesson tonight. As much as I'd liked to stay and talk, I need to get this one home. I hope to see you guys tomorrow." said Vash and he gently squeezed his sister shoulder as a hug. Then he turned and started to walk away.

"Good bye, Matthew. Good bye Ivan" called Lili as she followed after her brother. Both teens smiled and waved as they watched the two siblings head home.

"So" started Ivan

"So?" asked Matthew in a confused tone

"What did you misplace?" asked Ivan. Matthew looked at him startled

"How do you know..?" asked Matthew

"You distracted Lili with the CD, da. Not me" replied Ivan. Matthew sighed

"I had brought a case filled with some CD of mine." explained Matthew. His voice sounded so sad that Ivan felt sorry for him

"Do you want my help with finding them?" asked Ivan. Matthew gave him a look of pure surprise.

"You want to help me?" he asked with disbelief in his tone. Jeeze, Ivan wasn't that heartless!

"Da" answered Ivan. Matthew honestly looked at him and then a full smile stretched across his face. Wow, when Matthew smiled, he was as charismatic as his brother. A little chuckle left Matthew lips.

"You really are nice." commented Matthew

"Why do you sound surprised?" teased Ivan. Matthew chuckled again.

"Sorry, it just I have always heard the stories about you." explained Matthew

"Most of them are false." stated Ivan

"Most?" repeated Matthew with one eyebrow raised. Ivan couldn't resist giving him a teasing smile.

"Some just are a little exaggerated." answered Ivan. Matthew did his little chuckle again which Ivan actually enjoyed. He was glad to have finally had a chance to speak with Matthew. Ivan had always respected the quiet Canadian.

"Hey Birdie! You coming?" called a familiar voice. Both Matthew and Ivan spotted Gilbert by the school front doors. The albino was watching the pair and even from a distance, they could tell he was worried.

"One second, Gilbert!" called Matthew. Matthew immediately knelt down to sweep his things back into his bag. Ivan knelt down beside him and helped him gather his things. Which reminded Ivan...

"Do you think that the bullies who hit you took your CDs?" asked Ivan. Matthew gave him a startled look.

"I never said..." started Matthew

"You have bruises forming, I assumed, da." explained Ivan. Matthew made a groan sound of annoyance.

"No... The CDs are most likely in the garbage. They must have fallen out of my bag." sighed Matthew. Ivan frowned, someone really needed to teach those bullies a lesson...

"Next time they try something, call me. I will teach them not to mess with you." offered Ivan. Matthew chuckled and smiled at the thought.

"Thank you" said Matthew. Ivan shrugged in response. They got back up and Matthew did something that surprised Ivan. Matthew handed him a slip of paper with a series of numbers.

"My phone number," explained Matthew, "if you every one to talk. Not that you have too..." Ivan was surprised but still took the paper.

"See you later, Ivan." said Matthew before he turned around and walked to where Gilbert was standing. Ivan watched the boy before calling back

"Have a good evening, Matthew"

Then Ivan smiled. Today, he made some new friends.

**XXXX**

**Nuna **(_Korean_) Older Sister (When you are a boy)

**Bái mù **(_Chinese_) Literal: Idiot. Sub meaning: You are too stupid to understand so you did something wrong because of it

**Trukkalessa **(_Icelandic_) Literal: Girl who drives truck. Sub meaning: butch lesbian. **Apparently in Iceland most insults are something-fucker so Emil went for a different type of insult. This is apparently one of the worst insults you can give.**

**Dui bu qui **(_Chinese_) I'm sorry

**Nāozhǒng **_(Chinese) _Coward or weak person

**Gǒuzǎizi **_(Chinese)_ son of a bitch

**Honja naebeoryeo dushipshio **_(Korean)_ Leave me alone

**Finished! Sorry this took me so long! Really scattered month of no computer use and I have managed to catch a two week sickness. (I still have it) To be honest, there some spots I am not happy about, but I didn't want to make you guys wait any longer. I will come back and edit. So a few notes:**

**About this story:**** This in case you haven't figured it out yet, if you have just ignored this. A common theme in this story is going to be labels and cliques. Every character is part of one and either is fighting it or trying to keep it. Example: Alfred is the popular jock so the 'king' of the high school. He wants to keep that label. Ivan is the delinquent that terrifies everyone. He wants to get rid of that image.**

**About Tino****: In case this wasn't obvious, sometimes when people tell their parents they are gay, there are generally two different reactions. Acceptance or rejection. With rejection, the child usually gets kicked out and is told to never come back. It is illegal if they are a minor but it does happen. **

**About Alfred: ****I am not totally happy about his part in this chapter. It sounds too awkward to me but I don't know how to fix it. Knowing me, it will pop into my head when I have no writing equipment nearby. I will eventually edit that so don't get too mad at me. **

**About Yao and Mei**:** that fight isn't going to make sense until you learn Yao back ground story. You might want to remember this fight because it is important. Oh and Yao family is not doing the ancient family worshipping that I mentioned earlier. Something I noticed with Japanese is that they tend to set up small shrine to honor family member that have died. So that was what Yao was looking at.**

**Again, Thank you for reading, please remember to review!**


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